At least they scored.
Ohio State didn't get shut out by Clemson on the basketball court like it did on the football field, but the Buckeyes did blow a double-digit second-half lead to lose to the Tigers, 79-65, in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge game between the two teams at Value City Arena on Wednesday night.
It was the second game in a row that the Buckeyes blew a lead of 10 points or more in the second half, as Ohio State was outscored 42 to 18 in the game's final 15 minutes and 59 seconds.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLEMSON | 30 | 49 | 79 |
| OHIO STATE | 37 | 28 | 65 |
Marcquise Reed's 22 points and Shelton Mitchell's 19 points led the Tigers to victory, while Keita Bates-Diop's 21 points and Kaleb Wesson's 15 points led the Buckeyes in defeat.
The Buckeyes started the game strong, outscoring the Tigers 22-11 in the first eight minutes, with Bates-Diop scoring 10 points in that span to nearly outscore the Tigers by himself.
After that, however, Clemson's zone defense began to clamp down on the Buckeyes. The Tigers went on a 10-0 run before the third TV timeout, cutting Ohio State's lead to 24-21, before Bates-Diop ended the Buckeyes' scoring drought with a three.
That three was one of eight first-half buckets from beyond the arc by the Buckeyes, who attempted a whopping 15 three-point shots in the first 20 minutes, but made more than they missed to take a 37-30 lead into the break.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | CLEMSON |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | POINTS | 79 |
| 24-55 (43.6%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 29-52 (55.8%) |
| 9-21 (42.9%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 10-19 (52.6%) |
| 8-16 (50.0%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 11-13 (84.6%) |
| 14 | TURNOVERS | 11 |
| 30 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 30 |
| 10 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 3 |
| 20 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 27 |
| 8 | BENCH POINTS | 7 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 6 |
| 3 | STEALS | 5 |
| 15 | ASSISTS | 16 |
Ohio State extended its lead to 47-37 in the first four minutes of the second half, but Clemson began to take control of the game from there. The Tigers took their first lead of the second half with just over 11 minutes to play, going up 54-53 on a Reed jumper, and never trailed again in the game.
The Buckeyes went just 1-of-6 from three-point range in the second half, and were plagued by one of their recurring issues this season – turnovers – as they gave the ball away nine times in the final 20 minutes. The Buckeyes also struggled from the charity stripe, making just 8-of-16 free throw attempts, with all but one make and miss coming in the second half.
"Give Clemson credit, I thought they came in and made shots like we knew they were capable of doing, spread us out and obviously came away with the win," Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said after Wednesday's game. "We got a lot to work on, a lot to improve on in a lot of different areas."
Elijah Thomas led the Tigers with eight rebounds, while Donte Grantham led the Tigers with six assists. Bates-Diop led the Buckeyes with seven rebounds, while Jae'Sean Tate led the Buckeyes with five assists.
Ohio State returns to action Saturday, when the Buckeyes will play Wisconsin – just hours before the Buckeyes and Badgers meet on the football field – in Madison, Wis., in a game that starts at 5 p.m. and will be nationally televised on Fox.
