Ohio State Falls vs. Iowa, Drops 15th-Straight Road Game
The Ohio State Buckeyes suffered their ninth loss of the season Friday night, falling 79-77 to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Yet again, the Buckeyes failed to return home from a road trip with a victory. Ohio State is now 0-6 when playing away from Columbus this season, and has dropped 15 straight on the road overall.
Four Buckeyes scored in double figures against Iowa, including fifth-year forward Jamison Battle. The Minnesota transfer dropped in 17 points while shooting three-of-five (60 percent) from behind the three-point line.
Sophomore guards Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. had 14 and 12 points respectively. Thornton also recorded zero turnovers for the eighth time this season.
Sophomore center Felix Okpara tied his season-high in the affair with 14 points.
Ohio State shot almost 46 percent from the floor and 44 percent from deep in the loss. The Buckeyes secured a small consolation prize, out-rebounding the Hawkeyes, 30-28.
The Scarlet and Gray also went over 76 percent at the free-throw line, which is slightly above their team average of 75 percent.
Ohio State has now lost seven of their last eight games, including their most recent four contests. The Buckeyes now have a 3-8 record in the Big Ten, a 13-9 clip overall.
A winning record is now slowly slipping out of reach. Ohio State must win three of its final nine games in order to finish on the right side of .500 at 16-15.
The Buckeyes are back at home this week with a chance to right the ship. Ohio State will host the Indiana Hoosiers at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 6.
Live coverage of the contest between Ohio State and Indiana will air on Peacock, NBC's streaming service.
