Tempers Flare in OT
Ohio State hosted the Indiana Hoosiers last night, as both teams had suffered a loss in their previous game. Ohio State lost against the Iowa Hawkeyes, while Indiana had a four-game losing streak. In the previous matchup between these two teams, Indiana came out on top as they defeated Ohio State 67-51 in Bloomington. It almost took two minutes for either side to score a point in this contest. Early in the game, it was a low-scoring game as both defenses held the offenses in check. Buckeyes forward Zedd Key got the crowd out of their seats as he dunked the ball and drew the foul for a possible three-point play. Indiana cut through Ohio State’s defense, as they passed the ball quickly and effectively, which led to easy points. Ohio State took the lead at halftime by a score of 33-28.
At the start of the second half, both teams focused on scoring from inside the paint. E.J. Liddell gave Ohio State a six-point lead as he backed down a defender and made a hook shot. Ohio State would expand their lead to 10, thanks to Malaki Branham and Eugene Brown getting more involved on offense. Ohio State started to get sloppy as they made poor passes, which resulted in turnovers. Hoosiers guard Xavier Johnson made a flashy play as he pivoted, faked a pass and made a layup to cut the Ohio State lead to two. On one end of the court, Indiana blocked a shot from Kyle Young. Then Jackson-Davis was denied by an Ohio State defender. This game felt like it would come down to the wire. Indiana took the lead from Ohio State as the clock trickled down to under three minutes left in regulation. Ohio State’s defense kept them in the game and a dunk by E.J. Liddell sent the game into overtime.
At the start of overtime, Indiana Race Thompson put Indiana on the board to take the lead. Malaki Branham was trying to power his way into the paint, however, Jackson-Davis had other ideas and stuffed Branham’s shot. It felt like a game of hot potato, as the ball was bouncing all over the place. An Indiana player tossed a pass at his teammate to keep the ball inbounds, though it knocked off the body of a teammate and the refs signaled Buckeye’s basketball. Buckeyes guard Malaki Branham made a tough contested jump shot, which gave Ohio State a five-point lead. Before the game was over, things got chippy as E.J. Liddell and Xavier Johnson were battling for the ball, Johnson was grabbing Liddell’s leg, which prompted Liddell to swipe his arm at Johnson. Both players were charged with a foul, but it did not change the outcome as Ohio State won 80-69.
Ohio State outscored Indiana 17-6 in overtime. Malaki Branham was responsible for the outcome, as he capped off his night with 27 points. This was a big win for Ohio State, who were trending in the wrong direction at the wrong time. Ohio State improves to 10 wins and one loss on their home court this season. The 22nd ranked team in the country will have their hands full as they travel to Champaign to face the 15th ranked Fighting Illini and a dominant force in Kofi Cockburn.
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