Jae'Sean Tate would not be denied.
Ohio State's junior forward spun in the lane with under 5 seconds left and his left-handed layup gave his team a 71-70 victory over Penn State on Tuesday at the Bryce Jordan Center. Tate finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, one of four Buckeyes in double figures.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 40 | 31 | 71 |
| PENN STATE | 36 | 34 | 70 |
Tony Carr's heave at the buzzer from halfcourt fell short to secure the win for Thad Matta's team. It is Penn State's fourth straight loss and Ohio State's second consecutive victory.
JaQuan Lyle, Marc Loving and Trevor Thompson were the other Ohio State players to score at least 10 points.
Ohio State (17-13, 7-10 Big Ten) led by two with 2 minutes remaining after a free throw by Lamar Stevens. A runner by Lyle in the lane extended the lead to four before Carr answered with one of his own. Carr then hit a 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds left after Tate traveled, his sixth turnover of the game.
But the Columbus native got the last laugh with his patented left-handed drive and shot off the window.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | Penn State |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | POINTS | 70 |
| 25–51 (49%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 23–55 (42%) |
| 7–20 (35%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 11–31 (35%) |
| 14–22 (64%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 13–19 (68%) |
| 17 | TURNOVERS | 11 |
| 37 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 28 |
| 6 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 3 |
| 31 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 25 |
| 29 | BENCH POINTS | 5 |
| 2 | BLOCKS | 5 |
| 7 | STEALS | 8 |
| 9 | ASSISTS | 13 |
Penn State (14-16, 6-11) used a 12-1 run to snatch a nine-point advantage in the first six minutes of the second half. Ohio State plodded its way back to even and used a 9-0 run to jump ahead. Andre Wesson's 3-pointer with 6:37 put the Buckeyes back out front. Wesson scored seven points off the bench.
Lyle led the Buckeyes with 17 points off the bench. Loving added 14 despite shooting only 4-of-12 from the field. Thompson chipped in 11 in seven minutes in 24 minutes.
Ohio State led from the outset and overcame 11 first-half turnovers to take a 40-36 lead into intermission. Loving scored nine quick points for the Buckeyes and finished with 11 in the opening 20 minutes. Lyle connected on 5-of-6 field goals for 11 points.
Penn State only turned those 11 turnovers into five points and trailed by as many as eight before halftime. Shep Garner's 11 points and three 3-pointers led the way for the Nittany Lions, who got 10 more from the freshman Carr. The Buckeyes outscored Penn State 14-0 in bench points in the first half.
Carr led the Nittany Lions with a game-high 21 points. Shep Garner nailed five 3-pointers on his way to 20 points and Stevens added 16. Ohio State finished with 17 turnovers in the game but stuck around in the second half due to strong bench production and rebounding. The Buckeye reserves outscored Penn State's 29-5 and Ohio State finished with a 37-28 advantage on the glass.
Ohio State hosts Indiana on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the final regular season game for both teams.
