Ohio State Hangs On Against Wisconsin in Big Ten Tournament

The Ohio State Buckeyes' season is still alive.

Ohio State (14-18, 6-15 Big Ten) blitzed the Wisconsin Badgers (17-14, 9-12 Big Ten) early in the first half, using what was as big as a 27-point second-half lead to hang on to win 65-57. The Buckeyes will play the Iowa Hawkeyes Thursday 25 minutes after the noon tip-off between Michigan and Rutgers on Big Ten Network.

Ohio State shot 68 percent from the field at a 4-for-7 mark from deep in the first half, carrying a 36-18 lead into halftime.

The Buckeyes extended the lead to 27 with 15:31 to go in the second half — the largest deficit Wisconsin has faced all season.

Then things flipped.

After shooting just 30 percent from the field in the first half, Wisconsin mustered some life midway through the second half, sparking a 9-0 run in a 2:28 span. The Buckeyes turned it over three times in a 1:52 span which led to six Badgers points.

Head coach Chris Holtmann called a timeout and told his team in the huddle, as seen on the Big Ten Network's broadcast, to "stay aggressive" and "win the next possession."

The Buckeyes did just that, extending their lead back out to 22 as McNeil added five-straight points.

However, the Badgers punched right back with another 8-0 run, cutting the deficit to 55-41.

Sueing snapped a 6:36 scoreless stretch with a turnaround jumper to make it a 16-point lead.

Wisconsin was unable to capitalize as it went on a 4:36 scoring skid of its own, but forward Tyler Wahl ended it with a good jumper.

After starting 1-for-14 from deep, the Badgers got three-consecutive triples from guards Connor Essegian and Chucky Hepburn and Wahl, respectively, as their 11-0 run trimmed the game to 57-52.

Wahl led the Badgers' charge in the second half with 17 of his game-high 19 points.

The Buckeyes didn't make a field goal for the final 4:25 of play, as their final eight points came at the free throw line.

Wisconsin outscored Ohio State 39-29 in the second half.

After opening the Michigan State game with a 17-4 deficit, the Buckeyes raced out to a 9-4 lead on the Badgers with some help from forward Justice Sueing.

Sueing knocked down his fourth 3-pointer in his last 20 attempts followed on the next possession by a mid-range jump shot, propelling his seven-point first half.

Sueing scored in double figures for the fourth-consecutive game, notching 16 points Wednesday.

Guard Sean McNeil displayed some confidence, getting to his spots and knocking down each of his first six shot attempts. He finished with a team-high 17 points.

Guard Bruce Thornton continued his hot stretch of play, making his presence felt in his first-ever half of Big Ten Tournament basketball, as well. In the opening 20-minute period, he shot 6-of-7 from the field and paced the Buckeyes' first-half offense with 13 points. He scored just two points in the second half and finished with 15.

While everything went right for the Buckeyes' offense, everything went wrong for Wisconsin's in the first.

The Badgers opened the game by making just three of its first 11 shots from the floor, scoring just seven points in the first 8:26 of play.

Wisconsin had separate field goal droughts of 2:07, 2:21, 2:58, 4:13, and 5:10 in the first half.

The Buckeyes, meanwhile, hit 10 of their final 12 shots of the half, knocking down nine-consecutive shots across a 4:18 span midway through the first half to double up the Badgers in the first half.