Ohio State went back-to-back – in the wrong direction.
After losing their second game of the season and first game in over a month to Michigan State on Saturday, the Buckeyes had a chance to bounce back Wednesday night against Rutgers. However, Ohio State dropped its second game in a row for the first time since last February, losing 64-61 to the Scarlet Knights.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| #16 OHIO STATE (12-3) | 30 | 31 | 61 |
| RUTGERS (8-6) | 31 | 33 | 64 |
Geo Baker hit a jumper with Luther Muhammad in his face to give Rutgers a three-point lead with 13 seconds remaining. C.J. Jackson was unable to hit a 3-point shot in the final seconds, sealing the win for Rutgers.
This is the first time the Buckeyes have lost back-to-back games since falling to Penn State and Michigan in a four-day span on Feb. 15 and 18 last season. They are now 2-2 in the Big Ten and 0-1 on the road against conference opponents.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | RUTGERS |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | POINTS | 64 |
| 23-58 (39.7%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 22-53 (41.5%) |
| 8-26 (30.8%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 5-16 (31.3%) |
| 7-11 (63.6%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 15-20 (75%) |
| 13 | TURNOVERS | 10 |
| 35 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 34 |
| 13 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 11 |
| 22 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 23 |
| 10 | BENCH POINTS | 16 |
| 0 | BLOCKS | 6 |
| 7 | STEALS | 7 |
| 12 | ASSISTS | 10 |
Four Rutgers players – Baker, Ron Harper Jr., Montez Mathis and Shaquille Doorson – scored double-digit points.
Kaleb Wesson picked up two fouls early in the first half, so he wasn't much of a factor in the first 20 minutes. But he opened the second half with Ohio State's first 10 points, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Muhammad added 13 points and six rebounds.
Ohio State let the game get out of control quickly, falling behind within the first five minutes, then trailing by double digits 11 minutes into the game. The Buckeyes rode an 11-1 run to end the first half trailing by one point.
Despite Wesson's second-half explosion, Rutgers went on a 10-0 run in the middle of the second half, eventually pulling ahead by 10 points. Once again, Ohio State clawed its way back, eventually going on a 7-0 run to garner a 61-58 lead with 2:37 remaining in the game. Rutgers put the Buckeyes away, though, by scoring the final six points of the half.
Rutgers' win came despite a tough loss seven minutes into the game when Eugene Omoruyi, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, went down with an ankle injury. He limped off the court mainly under his own power and returned to the bench 10 minutes later, but did not return to the game.
