Ohio State runs out of postseason magic, falls to Illinois in Big Ten Tournament
MINNESOTA – A season that came down to the final game ulimately came down to the final seconds.
And in the end, No. 2 seed Illinois had a little bit more than No. 10 seed Ohio State. Coleman Hawkins hit two free throws with 1:14 to play that proved to be the difference as the Fighting Illini (24-8) closed the game on an offensive surge, taking down the Buckeyes (20-13) 77-74 in the Big Ten Tourmament quarterfinals at the Target Center.
"I loved just the aggressiveness that we played with," interim coach Jake Diebler said. "We kept fighting. We kept swinging. We stayed aggressive. A couple bounces here, there could have been the difference in the game. But proud of just our effort, our toughness, and our togetherness today."
Jamison Battle put Ohio State ahead 74-71 with a stepback 3 with 1:44 to play, but Illinois closed it out at the line. Terrence Shannon Jr. sunk two more with 11.3 to play to set the final score after a Hawkins offensive rebound, and it marked the ninth straight possession with points for the Illini.
Illinois scored 10 of its final 17 points from the line while overcoming a 63-59 deficit in the final six minutes. Battle got a final 3 that was just off line with 1.2 seconds left that would've tied the game.
"I thought it had a chance," Battle said. "When it left my hands I thought it was on line but you never know. You win some, you lose some. Obviously this one hurts a little more because you don’t know what happens after, but that’s all I can say."
Illinois drew 27 fouls and converted them into a 21-for-32 effort from the free-throw line. Ohio State was fouled 13 times and went 10 for 13 from the line.
The loss almost assuredly ends any nascent NCAA Tournament hopes for the Buckeyes, who entered the game having won six of seven games under interim coach Jake Diebler to place themselves in the bubble conversation.
Tied at 38, Ohio State's offense kicked into gear in the early moments of the second half. Starting with a Devin Royal spin and finish in the lane with 15:17 left, the Buckeyes scored on nine straight possessions and built a lead as high as 10 points at 56-46. The run was snapped by a Zed Key missed jumper with 9:32 to play, and it cracked open the door for an Illinois run that was powered by the glass and the foul line.
Terrence Shannon Jr. drew a foul and hit two free throws with 9:42 left to make it a 57-51 Ohio State lead, added a stepback 3-pointer to cut it to three and Dain Dainja put back his own miss with 8:18 left to make it 57-56.
Illinois kept coming, and a three-point play by Dainja with 7:41 remaining tied the game at 59. When Key was tied up going for an offensive rebound of a Battle miss, it gave Illinois the ball with a chance to take the lead. Instead, Bruce Thornton stole a pass from Marcus Domask and Dale Bonner hit a runner to put Ohio State back on top.
"Wasn't the prettiest game today," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. "It was a postseason game. It was everything that you've got to fight through all in one."
Thornton finished with 20 points and a career-high 10 assists for his first double-double. Battle led the Buckeyes with 21 points. Shannon led all scorers with 28 points and was 10 for 11 from the line, while Dainja had 18 points off the bench and drew eight fouls.
After Ohio State opened up an early 13-8 lead, the Illini used its size and physicality to start chipping away. Shannon Jr. scored on a physical drive to the rim, and when Dainja followed with a bucket after bullying Battle under the rim the Ohio State lead was down to one.
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Dainja’s bucket at the rim with 12:43 left gave Illinois a 16-15 lead and marked Ohio State’s first deficit of the tournament. It came amid a prolonged offensive drought for the Buckeyes, who would get just a Roddy Gayle Jr. field goal and a Key free throw during a stretch of 6:55 as the Illini staked out a 25-18 lead on two Dainja free throws with 7:14 left. As the fouls mounted, eventually sending both Royal and Evan Mahaffey to the bench with three in the first half, Illinois looked to be set to pull away.
Instead, Royal spun and scored over Coleman Hawkins to cut the deficit to 25-20, Scotty Middleton stole the ball and fed Gayle for a dunk and Key drew a foul, shot off his imaginary finger guns and hit the free throw for a three-point play to tie the game at 25 with 5:17 left.
Illinois missed 10 of its final 12 shots of the half but took a 31-29 lead into the break. Ohio State was within two points despite nine turnovers and 6 points in only eight minutes from Battle, who had two first-half fouls. The Buckeyes were called for 11 fouls before halftime and Illinois was called for six, but the Illini couldn’t turn the advantage into much separation at the line. Ohio State went 4 for 5 from the free-throw line during the first half while Illinois was 5 for 10.
Freshman guard Taison Chatman had to leave the bench area during the game due to a migraine.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State runs out of magic, falls to Illinois in Big Ten Tournament
