In the matchup of Chris Holtmann's current and former teams, it was his old team getting the win.
Holtmann's Buckeyes surrendered a 15-point second half lead with under six minutes to play as Butler continued to turn Ohio State over, defeating OSU, 67-66.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | OT | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUTLER | 21 | 38 | 8 | 67 |
| OHIO STATE | 24 | 35 | 7 | 66 |
A Kamar Baldwin three-point shot capped a 12-1 Butler run in the final two minutes, as the Bulldogs erased a 15-point second half deficit to tie the game at 59 with 16 seconds to play.
With a chance to win the game, Ohio State guard C.J. Jackson stepped out of bounds on the baseline with 4.3 seconds to play, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs. However, a late heave from Baldwin fell short, sending the game to overtime.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | BUTLER |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | POINTS | 67 |
| 24-52 (46.2%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 25-69 (36.2%) |
| 5-15 (33.3%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 6-31 (19.4%) |
| 13-18 (72.2%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 11-20 (55.0%) |
| 24` | TURNOVERS | 14 |
| 41 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 37 |
| 6 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 14 |
| 35 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 23 |
| 11 | BENCH POINTS | 13 |
| 2 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 4 | STEALS | 11 |
| 13 | ASSISTS | 8 |
In the extra period, Ohio State converted on just one field goal as the Bulldogs got a game-winning basket from Kelan Martin, who dropped in 24 points against his former coach.
The Buckeyes took their largest lead of the game following a highlight layup from Jackson with 5:31 to play, as Ohio State went up 54-39. Ohio State committed a season-high 24 turnovers against the Bulldogs.
Per usual, Keita Bates-Diop led the way for the Buckeyes, collecting his fifth double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
After taking just a three-point lead into halftime, the Buckeyes opened the second half strong with strong performances from Bates-Diop and Jackson. Jackson scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half and overtime two days after dropping a career-high 23 against Stanford.
The first half saw Ohio State jump out to an eight point lead on two separate occasions, first leading 11-3 in the opening minutes then again at 20-12.
The Buckeyes took their 20-12 lead on a dunk inside from freshman Musa Jallow. However, Ohio State would go scoreless for the next 5:07 as the Bulldogs rattled off a 9-0 run to take a brief 21-20 lead. Ohio State answered with floaters in the lane from both Bates-Diop and Jackson to take a three point lead into the halftime locker room.
For the third straight game, freshman forward Kaleb Wesson earned the start in the post in place of sophomore center Micah Potter, who has been battling an ankle injury. Wesson finished with nine points and five boards while Potter played just four minutes, tallying one lone rebound.
After three games in four days, Ohio State is set to return to action Thursday. The Buckeyes are set to host Clemson in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Value City Arena, with tip scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
