Ohio State collapses, loses 18-point lead in home loss to Indiana as streak reaches five
Ohio State had the lead. It had the momentum. It even had the advantage of playing at home.
Indiana had Trey Galloway, a fourth-year senior who refused to lose, and a capable big man in sophomore Malik Reneau. And on Tuesday night at Value City Arena, it was all the Hoosiers needed. In a game featuring two teams presumably desperate to avoid falling even further into the Big Ten’s basement, Ohio State led by 18 points with 17:39 to play and by 12 with 7:42 remaining with an eye on snapping a four-game losing streak.
It didn’t matter. Indiana (14-9, 6-6 Big Ten) rallied late and celebrated a stunning, 76-73 win against Ohio State (13-10, 3-9).
"I just didn’t think we were aggressive enough, really, on either end," coach Chris Holtmann said.
The Hoosiers wouldn’t go away, and the Buckeyes couldn’t show them the door. A 10-0 run cut Ohio State’s 65-53 lead to 65-63 as Galloway and Reneau torched the Buckeyes’ ball-screen defense, and a Kel’el Ware bucket with just less than three minutes to play gave the visitors their first lead since it was 10-9.
Ware was called for goaltending on a Jamison Battle shot in the paint, tying the game at 71 with 1:40 to play. Battle then drew a foul with 37.6 seconds left, hit two free throws and put the Buckeyes ahead 73-71, and Indiana got the ball upcourt and called timeout with 32.6 to play and 25 seconds on the shot clock.
Galloway, who had torched the Ohio State defense during the second half, drove the lane, drew the defense and kicked it out to Anthony Leal, who was 5 for 9 from 3-point range this season. He swished his attempt from the right wing, giving Indiana the 74-73 lead with 22.8 seconds to play.
Ohio State got the ball to Battle, but he lost control as he attempted to drive toward the top of the circle and the Hoosiers grabbed it for a fast break.
It was the back-breaker, as Leal then made two free throws with 2.9 seconds left to set the final score. As he stood at the line, a chant of, "Fire Holtmann!" could be heard inside the arena.
Bruce Thornton missed a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Ohio State (13-10, 3-9 Big Ten) has lost five straight and eight of nine while Indiana (14-9, 6-6) snapped a two-game losing streak. Indiana has now won three straight against Ohio State since a four-game winning streak from Feb. 8, 1997-March 5, 1998.
Galloway (19 points) and Reneau (16) combined to outscore Ohio State 35-31 in the second half as Indiana improved to 3-8 when trailing with five minutes to play this season. Leal who had scored a team-low 27 points all season for the Hoosiers, scored Indiana's final five points.
"I just felt like we wasn’t detailed enough in the second half," Ohio State's Roddy Gayle Jr. said. "First half, we came out with the kind of aggression we need to withstand for the whole entire game. In order for us to be the team we want to be, we’ve got to be able to withstand that aggression and that attention to detail."
Gayle, who had hit three 3-pointers on 30 attempts in 2024 entering the game, started what felt like a pivotal first-half run with a 3-pointer he swished from the top of the circle with 11:21 left in the half. It snapped at 13-all tie, and after Galloway beat Evan Mahaffey for a drive to pull within a point Gayle finished a drive and the run was on. A Mahaffey diving steal at midcourt led to Okpara being fouled at the rim with 9:22 left, and as the big man went to the line Holtmann pumped his fist to celebrate the effort.
He hit the free throws, and after CJ Gunn traveled on Indiana’s next possession Mahaffey scored to make it 22-15 with 8:46 left in the half. It was Ohio State’s largest lead since it was ahead by nine points at Nebraska on Jan. 23, and Bruce Thornton quickly added to it with a 3-pointer from the left corner. When Indiana called timeout to try and stop the bleeding, Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann and center Zed Key waved their arms to fire up the crowd as both teams headed to their benches.
Indiana got a free throw from Payton Sparks after he drew a foul on Key as he drove the basket out of the timeout, but Sparks also struck Key near the face and was assessed a flagrant foul after a video review. Jamison Battle hit the two free throws, and when he scored on the next possession the Ohio State lead was up to 29-16. It was a 16-3 run for the Buckeyes, and that 13-point advantage would remain at the half.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy
Gayle made sure of that, hitting two free throws with 59.8 seconds left and scoring on a drive with 18 seconds left to set the score at 42-29. The Buckeyes called timeout and threw a full-court press at the Hoosiers before falling back into a zone, and it caught Indiana by surprise. The half ended on a leaning, off-balance 3-point miss from Malik Reneau.
The 13-point halftime lead was Ohio State’s largest since it led Penn State 33-19 on Jan. 20, which was also the last time the Buckeyes had won a game. The 29 points were also the fewest allowed by Ohio State in a half since that half.
Gayle had 15 points on perfect first-half shooting: he hit all five of his field-goal attempts and all four of his free throws.
Get more Ohio State basketball news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State collapses, loses 18-point lead in home loss to Indiana
