Ohio State Drops Third Game in A Row, Second Straight at Home in 70-67 Loss to Minnesota

Ohio State has now dropped three video games in a row after struggling its worst lack of the season, a 70-67 defeat to a Minnesota workforce that entered the day as the one Big Ten program and not using a convention win. The Buckeyes began 7-0 at dwelling however have now misplaced back-to-back video games at the Schottenstein Center for the primary time in two seasons.

Ohio State’s effort was uninspired early as Minnesota led for practically the whole first half and went to the locker room up two factors. But the Buckeyes battled by means of a sluggish opening body to retake a lead on the Gophers in the second half. It didn’t final lengthy, although, as Minnesota took management shortly thereafter, finally opening up a double-digit lead.

The Buckeyes tied it up with 8.6 seconds to go behind a number of clutch performs from Brice Sensabaugh, however finally couldn’t full the comeback. A controversial foul name on a Bruce Thornton block allowed the Gophers to hit the game-winning free throw with lower than two seconds remaining on the clock.

Zed Key returned to motion after lacking many of the previous two video games with a shoulder damage, and regardless of not beginning the sport, the Buckeyes’ beginning middle wound up logging half-hour and placing up 10 factors earlier than all was mentioned and completed. But even with Key on the ground, 6-foot-11 Gopher ahead Dawson Garcia brought about issues for the Buckeye protection all night. Garcia dropped 12 factors in the primary half alone and completed with 28 for the sport.

Despite possessing one of many nation’s elite offenses in phrases of adjusted effectivity, the Buckeyes turned in their second straight flat efficiency in a shedding effort. Ohio State shot simply 37.5% from the sphere on Thursday to flip in its worst capturing night time of the 12 months. 

First Half

It was a gradual begin for the Buckeyes, who hit simply two of their first 10 pictures whereas Minnesota received out to a two-possession lead in the early going. Chris Holtmann known as his first timeout earlier than six minutes handed in an try to jumpstart his squad, however the Gophers simply stored hitting pictures. By the 12-minute mark, they’d mounted a 19-10 lead.

Ohio State scored eight of the following 10 factors after that, however simply because it appeared the Buckeyes had discovered their groove, they allowed Garcia to get occurring the opposite finish. The Gopher huge man caught fireplace to rating 12 straight Minnesota factors in somewhat over three minutes of sport time, holding the Buckeyes at bay in the method.

Season scoring leaders Brice Sensabaugh and Justice Sueing each struggled from the ground as Ohio State shot a mixed 35.3% from the sphere in the primary half. Minnesota, which entered the sport with the lowest-scoring offense in the convention, knocked down 55.6% of its pictures.

But Ohio State hung round to keep inside putting distance and a fast 6-0 run by Sean McNeil tied issues up in the ultimate minute. 

Minnesota responded with the ultimate make of the half to enter halftime up 37-35 in hostile territory. The Gophers had a lead for 16:33 of the primary 20 minutes.

Second Half

Two early threes from Bruce Thornton offered an early spark for the Buckeye offense, and at the same time as Garcia and the Gophers stored flattening pictures, Ohio State managed to tie the sport up at 15:38 and 14:21.

Sensabaugh didn’t begin the second half for Ohio State, however 22 seconds after coming into the sport for the primary time in the interval, he collected his personal rebound and transformed an and-one. The free throw put the Buckeyes up 51-50 somewhat beneath seven minutes into the half and Minnesota known as a timeout. The lead was Ohio State’s first since its opening shot of the sport.

The Gophers rapidly swiped that momentum away from the scarlet and grey over the following jiffy, although, as they launched into a 7-0 run to take a two-possession edge because the half reached the halfway mark. While the Buckeyes missed seven out of eight pictures throughout that stretch, Minnesota pushed it to 10 factors unanswered en route to a nine-point benefit with 7:40 to play.

By the 5:15 mark, Minnesota had scored 14 of the previous 16 factors in the ballgame to open up a double-digit lead for the primary time all sport. Ohio State threw a full-court press at the Gophers to try to generate further possessions, however nonetheless had vital floor to make up late.

Ohio State lower the Gopher lead to 4 factors on a McNeil runner with 2:21 to go, and a Sensabaugh 3-pointer with 31 seconds to go made it a two-point sport. Minnesota missed the entrance finish of a one-and-one at the opposite finish, and Sensabaugh received fouled on the following Buckeye possession to tie the sport at the free-throw line.

But after Thornton was known as for a foul on what appeared to be a clear block with 1.7 left, Minnesota hit one in every of two free throws and the Buckeyes threw the ball out of bounds on a full-court inbounds go that successfully ended the sport.

Game Notes

• Zed Key (shoulder) was listed as a game-time determination forward of tip-off, however entered the sport at the 17:05 mark as Ohio State’s first man off the bench. Key missed all of Sunday’s Maryland sport and all however 4 minutes of final week’s Purdue loss.
• Eugene Brown made his first begin of the season as Ohio State employed a center-less beginning 5 towards Minnesota. Bruce Thornton, Sean McNeil, Brice Sensabaugh and Justice Sueing additionally received the nod as starters.
• Ohio State gained its three earlier matchups with the Gophers courting again to March 2021. The Buckeyes beat Minnesota, 70-45, in the groups’ final assembly on Feb. 15, 2022.
• Chris Holtmann gained 5 of his final eight video games towards the Gophers since taking up as Ohio State head coach in 2017.
• Minnesota entered the sport as the one Big Ten workforce and not using a win in convention play.