Poor First Half Dooms Buckeyes Against Iowa
The Buckeyes dug too deep of a hole too early in the game.
Ohio State's second half offensive production was terrific, but it came on the heels of one of the most anemic halves of basketball all season. The Buckeyes couldn't mount enough of a second-half comeback and fell to No. 9 Iowa for their third straight lossa, 73-57.
The first-half offense was dysfunctional, forcing shots and playing with poor pace. C.J. Walker picked up two fouls in the first four minutes of the game, and Justice Sueing and Duane Washington Jr. missed a number of early shots.
By halftime, the Buckeyes were averaging barely 0.8 points per possession and hit just 12-of-31 shots.
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After the ugliest offensive half of basketball the Buckeyes played in recent memory, they quickly wiped that slate clean with a 14-2 run to open the second half and cut a once 16-point deficit late in the first half down to just 44-42.
But after Iowa called a timeout to stop the bleeding, the Hawkeyes ripped off seven straight points to re-extend the lead to 51-42.
Justin Ahrens hit a three-pointer with 13:05 left in regulation. For a huge chunk of the season, that would've been a minor footnote on the box score. But it snapped a two-game scoreless streak for the junior forward.
Over the next six minutes after Ahrens' triple, Iowa ratcheted up the pressure on defense and started to drain some open shots on the other end. The Hawkeyes led 66-53 after Keegan Murray hit a layup with six minutes to play.
The teams essentially traded baskets the rest of the way in a competitive second half, but Ohio State's first half woes were too much to overcome.
Luka Garza ate up Ohio State in the paint. The national player of the year favorite finished the day with a double-double, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Joe Wieskamp torched OSU from deep, connecting on five three-pointers for the game.
Duane Washington Jr. struggled for Ohio State, hitting just 3-of-10 shots and turning it over four times. He missed four of the five three-balls he took. E.J. Liddell scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half.
More to come after Chris Holtmann's postgame press conference, which can be watched LIVE on our YouTube channel.
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