Slump busted: Evan Mahaffey leads balanced Ohio State past Penn State
Ohio State found some balance on Saturday afternoon.
Offensively, the Buckeyes were proficient. Defensively, they were on point. Throughout, they were dominant. And by the end, their most balanced effort on both sides of the court, buoyed by their most balanced scoring effort in weeks, gave them something they hadn't enjoyed in a while.
A win. And not just a win, but a mostly comfortable one. Hosting Penn State inside Value City Arena, the Buckeyes (13-5, 3-4 Big Ten) took control from the opening possession and never trailed in a 79-67 win over the Nittany Lions (9-10, 3-4).
It's just one win. Road dates with Nebraska and Northwestern loom on the calendar this week, and Penn State is now winless in all eight games it has played away from the Bryce Jordan Center or the "nearby" Palestra.
But after having taken three straight losses entering the game, Ohio State was plenty pleased to accept a win that didn't get closer than a three-possession lead for the final 35:59.
"You can say it’s a couple things," sophomore wing Evan Mahaffey said. "You can say it’s we lost three in a row. You can say it’s they beat us last time when we definitely should’ve had that game. We were hungry to get out there and just play."
Ohio State had only six turnovers against a team that leads the Big Ten in turnovers forced at 16.4 per game, and the Buckeyes won despite going 3 for 18 (16.7%) from 3 by outscoring Penn State 40-24 in the paint.
Mahaffey, whose father is awaiting a heart transplant that could come at any day, led a balanced scoring attack with a career-high 16 points against his former team. Four Buckeyes scored in double figures for the first time since the Dec. 21 win against New Orleans. Roddy Gayle Jr. also had 16, Jamison Battle had 11 and Zed Key had 10 while Felix Okpara had 8 points and 14 rebounds.
Freshman wing Scotty Middleton was unavailable for the game after being suspended for an unspecified violation of team rules. His suspension is not likely to last beyond this game.
It didn't matter much for this game. Against a Penn State team that handed Ohio State an 83-80 loss on Dec. 9, the Buckeyes built a double-digit lead in the first 4:01 and did not let the Nittany Lions get within single digits until a Kanye Clary 3-pointer with 2:17 left made it 72-63.
Gayle then drove, drew a foul and hit both free throws with 1:47 to end the 11-1 run by the Nittany Lions.
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The Buckeyes pulled out all the stops on and off the court. Seventeen former captains, from Tom Williams (1953) through Joey Lane (2019), were honored at halftime. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was introduced during a timeout. The athletic band marched out “Script Ohio” on the hardwood at the break.
And from the opening tip, the play reflected it. Gayle, mired in a 14-for-53 shooting slump in his past four games, opened the game with a layup after Okpara extended the possession with an offensive rebound. Two possessions later, he swished a jumper from the right baseline after absorbing contact. Moments later, Penn State called timeout when Mahaffey scored inside to give Ohio State a 10-0 lead.
It didn’t help the Nittany Lions, who called a second timeout with 13:26 left after Okpara finished Bruce Thornton’s lob behind the defense for a 16-0 lead. Penn State finally broke through on its next possession when Jameel Brown, with the shot clock winding, leaped, leaned and banked in a 3-pointer from the left wing on his team’s 12th shot of the game.
"I thought we’d be really excited to play and it sure didn’t look like that," Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said. "We looked like we were in quicksand early on and they looked like they were on fire."
Brown put Penn State on the board, but Ohio State didn't let up as a host of players contributed. Battle backed his defender into the post and scored. Gayle threw lobs to Okpara. And when Thornton had to briefly leave to have his right eye looked at after being fouled on a drive, Penn State chose which Buckeye it wanted to have shoot the free throws in his place.
They chose Mahaffey, who transferred to the Buckeyes from the Nittany Lions in the offseason and entered the game shooting 72.2% from the line. With 5:43 left in the half, he hit them both, making it a 26-11 lead.
Middleton is the first Ohio State player to be suspended since guards Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington Jr. were suspended for the Jan. 14, 2020 game at Nebraska.
"We’re always going to hold players accountable," Holtmann said. "He’s a really good kid. Love him. Obviously a big part of this team. It’s a different era in college sports, but our best players have always wanted to be coached and wanted to be held accountable. I love him as a kid and looking forward to his return."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Evan Mahaffey, Ohio State snap three-game skid with Penn State win
