Ohio State closed out its January slate the same way it spent most of the month.
Losing to a Big Ten opponent.
| Team | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 30 | 40 | 70 |
| INDIANA | 46 | 40 | 86 |
The Buckeyes fell to 2-7 since the start of the new year with an 86-70 loss to Indiana in Assembly Hall Saturday. Things were razor-close until the final 3:31 of the first half, at which point Indiana embarked on a game-changing 15-0 run to close the period. Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino scored 20 points in the first half alone as Indiana went to intermission up 16 on Ohio State.
By that point, the hole was already too deep for the Buckeyes to dig themselves out. Indiana maintained a lead the rest of the way as Ohio State was overmatched inside for long stretches and lost the rebounding battle once again.
Hood-Schifino finished with 24 points, Trayce Jackson-Davis added 18 points and 10 boards and a team-leading 23 points from Brice Sensabaugh couldn’t save the Buckeyes from their ultimate fate.
Ohio State has now dropped seven of its last eight games and sits just one game above .500 following its 10th overall loss and seventh in conference play.
First Half
Each team’s phenomenal freshman led the way early. First, it was Sensabaugh, who knocked down back-to-back shots to give the Buckeyes a 9-2 lead by the 16:21 mark. Sensabaugh scored eight of the opening 12 points for Ohio State.
On the other side, Hood-Schifino came firing back to lead Indiana on an 11-0 run from 16:14 to 13:56. The freshman guard hit three 3-pointers in that stretch, and the third put the Hoosiers up 13-9. Ohio State scored nine of the next 11 points, but Hood-Schifino just kept hitting shots, as his fourth shot from beyond the arc tied things up 18-all before the midway point of the period. He knocked down his first five threes before a miss.
The Buckeyes still held a one-possession lead at 9:17, but Indiana scored nine unanswered points in just 54 seconds after an and-one, a technical foul on Chris Holtmann and a subsequent offensive rebound and score all in one long sequence. After that, the Hoosiers held a six-point edge with the clock approaching the seven-minute mark.
With a chance to go back up at the free-throw line at 3:56, Ohio State missed a pair. Then things went downhill in a hurry for the Buckeyes. Indiana scored the next 15 straight points to close the half on a 17-1 run as Ohio State failed to score in the final 5:05.
Ohio State missed its final seven shots in a row, got outrebounded 24-17 and was outscored 20-8 in the paint. All of those factors contributed to its 46-30 halftime deficit.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | INDIANA |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | POINTS | 86 |
| 26-59 (44.1%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 32-64 (50%) |
| 5-19 (26.3%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 10-20 (50%) |
| 13-19 (68.4%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 12-17 (70.6%) |
| 8 | TURNOVERS | 9 |
| 33 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 39 |
| 12 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 15 |
| 21 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 24 |
| 17 | BENCH POINTS | 29 |
| 2 | BLOCKS | 3 |
| 5 | STEALS | 5 |
| 9 | ASSISTS | 17 |
Second Half
Zed Key gave the Buckeyes a boost early in the half with a 3-pointer followed by a dunk on consecutive possessions. Those shots sparked a quick 7-0 run that got Ohio State back within 11 points of the Hoosiers before two full minutes passed in the period.
While the Buckeyes did better to match Indiana shot for shot through much of the second half, it failed to put meaningful runs together to chip into the Hoosier lead. Jackson-Davis equaled his first-half scoring output in the first 10:19 of the final period, and although Ohio State repeatedly answered on the other end, it couldn’t stop Indiana from doing the same.
The Hoosiers kept their foot on the gas just enough to keep Ohio State out of striking distance down the stretch. A pair of Jackson-Davis free throws put Indiana up 19 with 5:17 to play, and four subsequent points for the Buckeyes couldn’t convince the home crowd to stay in its seats.
Indiana fans began trickling out of Assembly Hall in the final three minutes as the Hoosiers had long since secured their fifth straight win.
Game Notes
- Ohio State last defeated Indiana at Assembly Hall on Feb. 10, 2019, when C.J. Jackson and the Wesson brothers led the Buckeyes to a 55-52 victory in Bloomington.
- The Buckeyes split their two meetings with the Hoosiers last season, dropping 67-51 on Jan. 6, 2022, and avenging that loss with an 11-point win over Indiana the following month.
- Chris Holtmann won his first four games against Indiana upon arriving at Ohio State in 2017-18, but lost two of the last five matchups before Saturday.
- Both Zed Key (shoulder, knee) and Felix Okpara (foot) dealt with injuries in the leadup to the contest, but were active against the Hoosiers.
- Justice Sueing returned to the starting lineup for Ohio State after two games in which he came off the bench. Key, Bruce Thornton, Sean McNeil and Brice Sensabaugh were the other four Buckeye starters.
- Indiana's Jordan Geronimo (calf) and Logan Duncomb (non-COVID illness) were out for the game.
