Ohio State played its best basketball of the season in the first half of Wednesday night's ACC-Big Ten Challenge matchup with No. 6 Virginia, but the Cavaliers rebounded from a 16-point deficit to beat the Buckeyes, 63-61.
Forward Jae'Sean Tate scored 12 first-half points to give Ohio State a 36-24 lead at intermission. The Buckeyes dominated down low, outrebounding the Hoos 22-4 in the opening 20 minutes.
Things quickly unraveled, though, as Virginia began the second half on a 15-3 run to take its first lead of the game with just over 14 minutes remaining. A back-and-forth affair ensued until Marial Shayok's layup gave the Cavaliers the lead for good with just under two minutes to play.
The Buckeyes had multiple chances to even things or win down the stretch, but JaQuan Lyle's deep three-point attempt at the buzzer hit the front of the iron.
The Buckeyes return home to face Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, Dec. 3. Tip-off at Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on BTN.
Check out photos from the game above.
