Ohio State keeps March Madness hopes alive, takes down Iowa in Big Ten Tournament
MINNEAPOLIS – The Wilson basketball ping-ponged around the center court line like a beach ball on spring break.
A few seconds earlier, Ohio State’s Zed Key had collected a missed shot and scored as the shot clock buzzed, pushing his team’s lead back to nine points. As Iowa pushed the ball the other way, Dale Bonner nabbed it and fed freshman teammate Scotty Middleton, who quickly gave it back to the Hawkeyes along the right side of the court.
It was a short-lived advantage. Middleton recovered, stole the ball back once again and got the ball back to Key, who finished to cap a frenetic sequence. It put Ohio State ahead by a game-high 11 points and underscored the difference between the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes.
Spring break can continue to wait for Ohio State. The Buckeyes have their eyes set on playing deeper into March, and that is growing more likely with each game after Thursday night’s 90-78 win against the Hawkeyes in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament inside the Target Center.
Ohio State (20-12) advances to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament and will face No. 2 seed Illinois on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. The Buckeyes have now won six of seven under interim coach Jake Diebler and are on the verge of forcing their way into the NCAA Tournament conversation.
"We're trying to win the whole thing, but we're trying to take it one game at a time," sophomore captain Bruce Thornton said. "(Friday) we have to go 1-0 again. We did it today."
The Buckeyes never trailed against the Hawkeyes (18-14), who won the prior meeting between the teams this season 79-77 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Feb. 2. Ohio State had a chance to win that game late but turned it over without getting a shot.
This one required no such late-game worries.
Minnesota native Jamison Battle, who transferred to Ohio State during the offseason in large part with the hopes of his first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, led the Buckeyes with 23 points, all of which came during the second half. His previous team, Minnesota, lost to Michigan State earlier in the day to finish 18-14. Thornton had 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds.
"We're not shying away from what's at stake," Diebler said. "We're able to do that because of how mature our group is, and they understand that, in order to keep going, we have to focus on the task at hand, and we have to continue to get a little tougher, a little more together, and sustain our urgency and aggressiveness for as long as we can andkeep pushing for a 40-minute game."
Ohio State took control early with a barrage of 3s and a borderline unconscious first half from freshman Scotty Middleton. The Buckeyes hit four of their first eight shots, two of which were swished 3-pointers from Thornton, forcing Iowa to call a timeout with 16:01 left and Ohio State ahead 10-2.
The Hawkeyes settled in after the timeout, scoring on their next six possessions and tying the game at 15, but Ohio State went back ahead on a Devin Royal spinning jumper, a Dale Bonner steal and a Bonner 3. The Royal jumper started a run of six straight possessions with points for the Buckeyes, two of which were jumpers from Middleton and one of which was a 3. It pushed the Ohio State lead back to 29-22 with 9:27 left in the half with the Buckeyes shooting 70.6% (12 for 17) from the field to that point.
A Middleton 3-pointer with about 30 seconds left set the halftime lead at 43-38 Ohio State and capped a perfect half from the freshman, who had 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting. It was already his second-most points of the season, and his three made 3-pointers tied a season high.
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Iowa had one final chance to cut into the deficit, but sophomore guard Roddy Gayle Jr. blocked a Brock Harding shot attempt near the left block, tracked down the rebounding and hurled it high into the air. Iowa corralled it but could only heave a half-court shot that was well off the mark, capping the half with some momentum for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State hit 8 of 11 3-pointers at the half despite the Big Ten’s leading 3-point shooter Jamison Battle not attempting one and outrebounded Iowa 17-11. The 43 points were two shy of Ohio State’s season high in a first half this season, trailing a 43-point effort against Rutgers on Jan. 3. Nine Buckeyes had at least one first-half field goal.
Retiring Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and incoming athletic director Ross Bjork were both in attendance.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State Buckeyes keep March Madness hopes alive with win vs Iowa