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Ohio State Perseveres to KO Illinois' Big Ten Title Hopes

Buckeyes win ninth in 11 games with freshman E.J. Liddell coming to rescue
Bruce Hooley|
Ohio State Perseveres to KO Illinois' Big Ten Title Hopes
Ohio State Perseveres to KO Illinois' Big Ten Title Hopes

Ohio State won't win the Big Ten regular season championship.

And, apparently, it doesn't want anyone else to win it, either.

The No. 19 Buckeyes erased a seven-point Illinois lead with 13 minutes remaining Thursday at Value City Arena to claim a 71-63 victory and essentially eliminate the Illini's title hopes.

Never mind that almost everything which has worked for OSU in a recent 8-2 stretch went missing, or that leading scorer Kaleb Wesson battled serious first-half foul trouble, or that second-leading scorer Duane Washington played only eight minutes in the second half, or that starting forward Kyle Young sat out for a third straight game because of an injured ankle.

And while we're at it, pay no attention to the Buckeyes, best in the Big Ten in three-point percentage, making only 3-of-15 beyond the arc.

Despite all that, Ohio State found a way to end the Illinois' four-game winning streak, inflicting only the Illini's second loss in 20 games when it has outshot its opponent from the field.

OSU shot only 39% from the field to Illinois' 44%, and made just half as many threes as the Illini, but survived by doing what few opponents have been able to do to head coach Brad Underwood's team.

The Buckeyes won the rebounding battle by seven against the league's best team on the boards, and they shot 24-of-28 from the free throw line against a team that's made 39 more free throws all than its opponents have attempted.

"Players win games and this was a heck of a win, because it didn’t always look great for us," OSU coach Chris Holtmann said. "We weren't making a lot of shots, honestly."

No. 23 Illinois (20-10, 12-7) needed a win to stay in contention for a piece of the title. Now, however, its 7 p.m. Sunday home game against Iowa is merely for Big Ten tournament seeding.

The Buckeyes finish the regular season at 4:30 Sunday at Michigan State, which, like Wisconsin and Maryland, is still in play for a share of the championship.

OSU (21-9, 11-8) started this elbowing for a share of the crown with its win two weeks ago against Maryland. The Terps have since lost twice more in three game

The seeds for Ohio State's win over Illinois may have been planted two years ago, when two-time Illinois Mr. Basketball E.J. Liddell chose the Buckeyes over the Illini.

Liddell came off the bench to spell Wesson, who left the game less than four minutes in with two personals, and played so well Ohio State went with the 6'7" freshman at power forward throughout the second half.

Liddell supplied 17 points and 11 rebounds to support Wesson's 19 points and five boards. C.J. Walker scored 15.

Wesson came back to play isolated minutes after Illinois moved in front by 11 with him sitting.

He managed to avoid a third whistle while playing nine minutes in the first half, but OSU still trailed by seven at the break.

"It was a little bit of a risk to put him back in," Holtmann said. "It was a little risky. But I said, 'We're going to roll with it. If he gets his third, he gets his third.'"

The plan to play Liddell most of the second half came without advance planning.

With 13 minutes left, Illinois had rebuilt its halftime margin after a brief OSU burst momentarily wrested control.

That's when Liddell's solid minutes began stepping into the spotlight.

His defensive rebounds kept Illinois from second-chance attempts and provided the possessions Wesson cashed with a three-pointer and shot in the lane.

The Buckeyes gained momentum from two C.J. Walker free throws, another Wesson score and then his fallaway that forged a 51-51 tie at 9:30.

Liddell brought the house down with a thunderous rebound slam in transition for a 53-51 lead at 9:02, then added two free throws, an eye-opening blocked shot and two more scores in the lane to keep the place thumping and supply the rocket fuel for a Senior Night getaway.

"Illinois is a good basketball team, but I didn't want to have my guys go out on a bad note in their last home game," Liddell said. "I was more motivated, and I feel that everybody was more motivated, to get a win for these guys on Senior Night, because last year on Senior Night they lost. I feel like that was a big motivation."

"We recruited E.J.," Illini coach Brad Underwood said. "We know how good he is. He got extended minutes because of Kaleb's foul trouble in the first half. He found a little groove and gave them a different look."

Ayo Dosunmu led Illinois with 21 points, but did not score over the last 11 1/2 minutes under Luther Muhammad's defensive coverage.

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Bruce Hooley
BRUCE HOOLEY

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