Inside Christoph Tilly's late game-winner as Ohio State edges Notre Dame

After battling back from behind, Ohio State squeaked past Notre Dame 64-63 for their fourth win of the season.

It was another tough offensive start for the Buckeyes. After an early 6-3 lead, they trailed Notre Dame for the remainder of the first half.

Ohio State was seemingly missing the offensive pace and tempo that carried them through their first two wins of the season. Eleven minutes into the first half, they had only scored 10 points and racked up five turnovers.

But back-to-back field goals from Bruce Thornton, including a three, sparked Ohio State’s comeback as they cut the deficit to 23-17 with under eight minutes to go in the half.

The Buckeyes finished the half trailing by three, and they were out-rebounded 17-10 and shot 36% from the field while Notre Dame shot an impressive 58.3%.

In the second half, Ohio State continued to trail up until 10:45 to go in the game when Christoph Tilly hit two free throws to tie it up. Tilly then sank two more at the line to give Ohio State their first lead of the half at 48-46.

Thornton and Tilly combined for over 66% of Ohio State’s points. Tilly finished with 18, 10 of which came from the free throw line. His ability to get to the rim and draw fouls was crucial for the Buckeyes, especially in the second half.

“I was not doing that in the first half enough,” Tilly said about getting to the free throw line. “So I had to adjust that at halftime and not try to get fouled but just focus on my finishes. I was in a good spot and then every time I caught a ball I was just trying to read and be aggressive.”

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) shoots around Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Kebba Njie (14) during the men's NCAA basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus on Nov. 16, 2025. Ohio State won 64-63. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The game was tied again at 59-59 with under four minutes to go when Thornton hit a three that gave Ohio State a steady push into the final stretch, leading 62-59. Thornton was effective from behind the arc with four threes, and his long-range shooting continues to be a huge part of his growth with the Buckeyes. He finished with 24.

In the final stretch of the second half, Ohio State went on over a three-and-a-half-minute scoring drought and Notre Dame was able to take the lead again with just over two minutes to go.

It came down to the final possession, as the Buckeyes were trailing 63-62 and had 23.8 seconds to go.

Coming out of the timeout, Ohio State had the ball and the initial play was designed for John Mobley Jr., but he was delayed coming off his initial cut and passed to Tilly, who laid one in to put the Buckeyes up by one with 13 seconds to go.

“He doesn’t really get rattled,” head coach Jake Diebler said about Mobley Jr. “He’s not just a scorer, he can read the game.”

Tilly also credited Mobley Jr. for making the right read. Notre Dame pushed the ball up the court, and instead of using their remaining timeouts, aimed to execute their offense and missed a three at the buzzer.

Ohio State Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (0) dribbles between Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Braeden Shrewsberry (11) and guard Markus Burton (3) during the first half of the men's NCAA basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus on Nov. 16, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The final takeaways: Ohio State was dominated inside, scoring just 18 points near the rim, while 60% of Notre Dame’s offense came from interior scoring. Diebler said his team was taking threes even without a threat in the paint, and shot quality remains a focus.

The Buckeyes also shot 38% from the field, their lowest field goal percentage of the season so far. But overall, Diebler was pleased with his team’s ability to find a way to get it done even when they weren’t meshing offensively.

“You certainly want to win and be in close games early on in the season because it prepares you for Big Ten play,” Diebler said. “The fact that we were able to win one of these early is important. This is progress.”

He also knows his team has offensive depth — even though it didn’t show today — and claimed on any given day, Royal, Thornton, Tilly, or Mobley Jr. could lead the offensive charge.

“After that, we have to continue to develop some scoring punch,” Diebler said. “Amari took a step forward today. We’ve seen what Brandon’s capable of. Early season basketball is figuring that out.”

The Buckeyes’ next test comes Thursday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. against Western Michigan.