Win against a ranked opponent? Checkmark.
Ohio State hadn't beat a top-25 opponent or a team in the top six of the Big Ten – until Tuesday.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE (18-10) | 36 | 54 | 90 |
| IOWA (21-7) | 36 | 34 | 70 |
With just a couple weeks remaining in the regular season, the Buckeyes garnished their NCAA tournament resume with a 90-70 win against No. 22 Iowa at the Schottenstein Center behind a second-half outburst from freshman Justin Ahrens. Their overall record improves to 18-10 and 8-9 in the Big Ten.
Ahrens, starting his second game in a row, provided a scoring spark with 25 of his 29 points coming in the second half. His nine points against Maryland on Saturday were his prior career-high. Ahrens hit 6-of-10 3-pointers and all nine of his free throw attempts, and had nine points during Ohio State's 12-2 run in the second half that increased its lead to 18 points with 8:41 remaining.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | IOWA |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | POINTS | 70 |
| 28-58 (48.3%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 26-55 (47.3%) |
| 12-32 (37.5%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 6-19 (31.6%) |
| 22-24 (91.7%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 12-14 (85.7%) |
| 13 | TURNOVERS | 10 |
| 36 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 26 |
| 9 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 4 |
| 27 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 22 |
| 19 | BENCH POINTS | 24 |
| 3 | BLOCKS | 1 |
| 7 | STEALS | 4 |
| 19 | ASSISTS | 10 |
Though Kaleb Wesson was limited in the first half due to early foul trouble, he added 18 points, grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and had three steals.
Keyshawn Woods had 13 points, and Andre Wesson scored 11 points while also picking up five rebounds and accumulating three assists.
With Ohio State's win, the Buckeyes split the regular-season series with the Hawkeyes. They lost to Iowa, 72-62, on Jan. 12 in Iowa City, Iowa.
Next up: Ohio State heads to West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on Purdue at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Boilermakers beat the Buckeyes, 79-67, at the Schottenstein Center on Jan. 23. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Game Notes
- Chris Holtmann picked up a technical foul during a timeout with 6:48 remaining in the first half. He called a referee over to talk to him, had a spirited discussion, then was hit with a technical.
- C.J. Jackson, Ohio State's starting point guard, missed his team's game against Maryland with a shoulder injury and did not start on Tuesday. But he was the first substitute off the bench and entered the game after three minutes.
- Freshman forward Justin Ahrens earned his second career start. He had nine points in 27 minutes in his first start for the Buckeyes versus Maryland.
- The Ohio State men's tennis team was honored during a timeout in the first half for winning the 2019 ITA National Indoor Team Championship.
