Ohio State talked all season about how it had an added emphasis on non-conference games after dropping a few last season. The Buckeyes avoided those same disasters at the begging of this season.
Until Tuesday.
Florida Atlantic stunned Ohio State at Value City Arena, 79-77, in overtime. The Owls entered the game just 2-5 on the season and were ranked 240th in the country by KenPom.
| 1 | 2 | OT | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLORIDA ATLANTIC | 31 | 40 | 8 | 79 |
| OHIO STATE | 32 | 39 | 6 | 77 |
Nick Rutherford's runner in the lane with one second on the clock was the game-winning basket and left the Buckeyes stunned as the Owls' bench went crazy.
Ohio State scored the first four points of overtime thanks to a Kam Williams floater and a Jae'Sean Tate putback. Florida Atlantic's Adonis Filer responded, however, with a step back 3-poniter to get the Owls within one midway through the extra frame.
A pair of free throws from Marc Loving stretched the Buckeyes' lead back to three with just over two minutes to play before Nick Rutherford hit a floater in the lane to again bring FAU within one.
After the Owls got a stop, William Pfister split a pair of free throws to tie the game. Ohio State then forced it over on two consecutive possessions and then Rutherford hit the game-winner.
Down by three points with 30 seconds to play, Jae'Sean Tate hit a pair of free throws to get the Buckeyes within 70-69. Nick Rutherford split a pair of free throws to leave the door open and after Kam Williams missed an open 3-pointer, Trevor Thompson snagged the rebound and got fouled.
Thompson made both free throws to tie the game at 71-all to send the game to overtime.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | FLORIDA ATLANTIC |
|---|---|---|
| 77 | POINTS | 79 |
| 28–67 (42%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 27–62 (44%) |
| 4–20 (20%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 10–25 (40%) |
| 17–22 (77%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 15–22 (68%) |
| 12 | TURNOVERS | 12 |
| 42 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 41 |
| 12 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 9 |
| 30 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 32 |
| 30 | BENCH POINTS | 26 |
| 5 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 4 | STEALS | 4 |
| 16 | ASSISTS | 10 |
Ohio State led by as many as 11 points in the second half after a Jae'Sean Tate basket stretched it out to 58-47, but once again the Buckeyes failed to put a team away as Florida Atlantic responded by scoring the next 14 points to take a 61-58 lead with just under six minutes to play.
Ohio State had just a one-point lead at halftime against a lower-level mid-major for the second-straight game. The Buckeyes led the Owls at the break, 32-31, because of some poor shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
After starting the game just 1-for-11 from the field, Ohio State finished the first half shooting just 36.7 percent from the floor. The Buckeyes were also just 3-for-10 from behind the 3-point line. Tate and Williams were a combined 2-for-12 from the floor in the first half as Ohio State missed all kinds of shots on the interior.
Lyle led the way with a first-half stat line of seven points, five assists and four rebounds. Despite the poor shooting from the floor, Tate finished with six first-half points while Micah Potter and Keita Bates-Diop each scored five.
It was Bates-Diop's first action after missing the last five games with an ankle sprain. The junior forward finished the game with 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting.
Next up for Ohio State is a date with Connecticut on Saturday. The Buckeyes host the Huskies at 6 p.m. at Value City Arena.
