Ohio State won its fourth-straight game Saturday, downing Nebraska, 65-62, in overtime. The Buckeyes outscored the Huskers 9-6 in the extra five minutes.
| 1 | 2 | OT | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 21 | 35 | 9 | 65 |
| NEBRASKA | 22 | 34 | 6 | 62 |
JaQuan Lyle's layup with 31 seconds remaining put Ohio State ahead by two and a free throw by Keita Bates-Diop pushed the lead to three in the closing seconds and the Buckeyes held off a desperation heave by Nebraska at the final horn to earn the victory.
Ohio State nearly blew the game in regulation, when Andrew White's 3-pointer with 52 seconds left put Nebraska up by two. On the Buckeyes' next possession, though, Lyle got to the rim and drew a foul and connected on both free throws to tie the game at 56. Mickey Mitchell nearly made a half-court shot at the buzzer after grabbing a steal on the Huskers' final possession.
Ohio State's largest lead of the game was 11 at 41-30 thanks in large part to a 7-0 run. Lyle scored all seven points for the Buckeyes during that stretch. Nebraska responded, however, by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to get back into the game. The Huskers outscored the Buckeyes 26-15 after going down by 11.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | NEBRASKA |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | POINTS | 62 |
| 21-54 (39) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 19-70 (27) |
| 3-14 (21) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 9-35 (26) |
| 20-26 (77) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 15-23 (65) |
| 17 | TURNOVERS | 9 |
| 49 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 40 |
| 15 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 19 |
| 34 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 21 |
| 0 | BENCH POINTS | 13 |
| 8 | BLOCKS | 6 |
| 6 | STEALS | 6 |
| 6 | ASSISTS | 10 |
Only four players scored for the Buckeyes. Lyle led the way with a game-high 19 — all of which came in the second half and overtime. Bates-Diop had 16, Jae'Sean Tate finished with 15 and Marc Loving scored 15. Tate also had 12 rebounds.
Saturday's first half certainly won't be used as a blueprint to explain the game of basketball to America's youth. Nebraska led Ohio State 22-21 at the break in quite an ugly opening 20 minutes.
The Buckeyes shot just 31 percent from the field and made only 1-of-8 attempts from behind the 3-point line. Nebraska, though, shot only 26 percent from the floor and was 3-for-17 from downtown. Ohio State committed nine first-half turnovers and allowed the Huskers to collect nine offensive rebounds which led to nine second-chance points.
Only three players scored in the first half for the Buckeyes as Loving led all scorers with 11 at the break. Jae'Sean Tate had six points while Keita Bates-Diop added four.
Ohio State will next be in action Tuesday when it hosts Michigan State.
