Men’s Basketball: Ohio State falls to No. 15 Oregon 73-71 in nail-biting finish

David Skovira
Fri, 10 Jan 2025 16:08:34 +0000
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Ohio State graduate guard Micah Parrish (8) drives towards the net during the game against Oregon Thursday at Value City Arena. The Buckeyes fell to the Ducks 73-71. Credit: Liam Ahern | Lantern Photographer

No. 15 Oregon proved to be too much for Ohio State in the final seconds as the Ducks defeated the Buckeyes 73-71 Thursday at Value City Arena.?

Oregon (14-2, 3-2 Big Ten) and Ohio State (10-6, 2-3 Big Ten) traded baskets throughout a tightly contested matchup, but it was the Ducks who delivered the final blow, using key free throws to seal the victory.

“At the end of the game, it wasn’t just their size, it was the ball screen coverage,” Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler said. “We didn’t do a good enough job, both with the guards and bigs. We didn’t make them earn those baskets. That’s what’s disappointing because we’ve worked on those adjustments, and we didn’t execute them.”?

The Buckeyes scored the first five points of the game thanks to a 3-pointer by guard Micah Parrish and a jumper by guard John Mobley Jr. However, Oregon responded with a layup by guard TJ Bamba and a 3-pointer by guard Jackson Shelstad.?

With 2:35 left in the first half, a Parrish layup capped off an 8-0 run by the Buckeyes giving them a 31-23 lead.?

The Ducks were able cut into the deficit as center Nate Bittle made a jumper and a pair of free throws to cut the Ohio State lead to 32-27 going into the break.

“We adjusted our ball screen coverage at halftime to take away some of their threes,” Diebler said. “We didn’t execute that well enough, and they capitalized on it.”

Forward Sean Stewart led all Buckeyes in the first half with 12 points and 6 rebounds, while shooting 3-for-4 from the field. Shelstad led the scoring for Oregon, matching Stewart with 12 points.

In the first half, both teams combined for 16 turnovers while Ohio State led the battle in points off turnovers 10-4.

Early in the second half, a jumper by guard Bruce Thornton capped off another 7-0 run by the Buckeyes, giving them a 41-35 lead.?

With 13:36 left, Parrish made his second 3-pointer in as many possessions to keep Ohio State up eight until Oregon responded with a Bittle three.

The Ducks didn’t go away as they put together a 6-0 run to cut the Buckeye lead down to two with 5:22 remaining.?

Much like the first half, both teams continued to score back and forth until Oregon put an 8-0 run together to take a 68-67 lead with 1:35 remaining.?

Mobley Jr. made two free throws after being fouled on a floater to get the lead back for the Buckeyes, but a late Ohio State foul with seven seconds left allowed Oregon two free throws to take the lead and win the game, which it hit to secure the victory.?

Shelstad led the Ducks with 24 points while Bittle added 21 points and 8 rebounds. For the Buckeyes, Thornton led the way with 20 points while Mobley Jr. added 16 points.?

“I just never get too high, never get too low, especially in this league,” Thornton said. “You just never know what the next game’s going to bring, but always have my mind to win it each and every game I play. That’s just how my mindset is.”?

Ohio State will look to get back in the win column Tuesday at 9 p.m. against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center.