Ohio State rallies, but Michigan holds on to extend Buckeyes' losing streak
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The shot didn’t have much business falling. It hit the rim, hit high off the backboard, changed course and neatly dropped through the net.
Ohio State had just scratched out a 61-60 lead thanks in large part to a 16-0 second-half run when Michigan's Terrance Williams III let the 3-pointer fly from straight-on. It was a dagger.
The Buckeyes had put themselves in position to change the narrative on their team, their season and potentially even more. A half-filled Crisler Center was watching the home team lose another second-half lead, an upper-bowl section half-filled with Ohio State fans was cheering and the Buckeyes were staring victory in the face.
Then Williams’ shot fell. Michigan took a 63-61 lead with 3:37 to play, scored on its next two possessions and pulled away for a 73-65 win in front of an announced crowd of 12,202. It sent the Buckeyes (12-5, 2-4 Big Ten) to a third straight loss and a 12th straight road loss, snapped a five-game losing streak for the Wolverines (7-10, 2-4) and again left Ohio State lamenting little things in critical moments.
“We’re two teams competing and we just fell short today,” Ohio State sophomore captain Bruce Thornton said. “We’re going to keep stacking days. Even though we lost, we’ve got to keep our heads up high. We’ve got 14 more Big Ten games. Us staying together, everything will come to us.”
After Roddy Gayle Jr.’s dunk with 4:23 left gave Ohio State a 61-60 lead, the Buckeyes were outscored 13-4 in the final 3:37. In Wednesday night’s 71-60 home loss to No. 15 Wisconsin, the Buckeyes led 56-52 but were outscored 19-4 in the final 5:49. In a loss at Indiana on Jan. 6, the Hoosiers outscored the Buckeyes 21-13 in the final 9:50.
Three games with second-half leads have turned into three straight losses, their seventh losing streak of at least that many games during coach Chris Holtmann’s tenure. They have lost 12 straight road games dating back to a New Year’s Day win at Northwestern last season. Most critically, they might have lost their grip on a season that entered 2024 with promise.
“We’ve got to rely on our defense when we’re not making shots,” Holtmann said. “They had a 3 that rattled in there. We had the ball a couple possessions right where we wanted it with a couple of those guys. I’m confident those guys will make plays.”
Down nine points at halftime, Ohio State traded buckets for the first part of the second half and trailed by a game-high 12 points with about 12 minutes to play against a Michigan team that held halftime leads in each of its past two losses. The Buckeyes, seemingly dead in the water, put together a 16-0 run that pushed them to a 59-55 lead with 7:21 to play.
But when Dale Bonner missed at the rim, Olivia Nkamhoua landed the first Michigan counterpunch by hitting a jumper to cut the deficit to two. Nimari Burnett buried a deep 3-pointer from the left wing to reclaim the lead at 60-59, setting the stage for a tense final five minutes.
Ohio State went 3 for 24 (12.5%) from 3 in the loss. Michigan was 12 for 23 (52.2%).
"It’s a way different ballgame when you’re making shots and missing shots," Thornton said. "It’s a make-or-miss league. If you make shots, the whole turnout of the game is different."
After rolling ankles in practice during the week, Ohio State's Roddy Gayle Jr. and Scotty Middleton were listed as questionable on the pregame availability report but both played.
"They were both limited a little bit," Holtmann said. "We didn’t know until tip if both guys were going to play. Roddy’s ankle is blown up pretty good. He did a great job."
Gayle had 12 points on 3-of-8 shooting. Thornton led the Buckeyes with 19 on 8-of-19 shooting.
Trailing by a game-high 10 points with five minutes left in the first half, Ohio State cut it to 32-28 on a three-point play from Devin Royal off an offensive putback following Taison Chatman's missed 3-point attempt. And when McDaniel missed on a drive, the Buckeyes had a chance to pull even closer. Instead, Middleton was off the mark from behind the arc, and Michigan capitalized when Tarris Reed backed down Royal and scored in the paint to push it back to a six-point lead.
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Middleton again missed from the left corner, this one an airball that went long, and Ohio State fouled twice in the final six seconds to try and disrupt Michigan. It didn’t matter: McDaniel took an inbounds pass from the right sideline in the backcourt and swished a straight-on 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded.
It was five points in 48 seconds for the Wolverines, who took a 37-28 lead into the break. After shooting 32.3% from 3-pont range in Big Ten play entering the game, Michigan hit 7 of its 11 first-half attempts as four different players made at least one. Ohio State, which had been shooting 39.3% from 3 against conference foes, made just 1 of its 14 attempts at the break.
That lone made basket was from Thornton, who had five attempts and tied for the team-lead with seven first-half points. Royal, who had not scored in Big Ten play entering the game, also had seven at the break but did not score during the second half.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State's late rally not enough in road loss at Michigan
