The losing streak is no more.
Thirty-six days removed from its last win, Ohio State snapped a nine-game losing skid Sunday with an impressive 72-60 victory over Illinois at the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes, who lost their previous four home games in a row, avenged their Jan. 24 loss to the Illini in Champaign to even the season series.
| Team | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 41 | 31 | 72 |
| ILLINOIS | 29 | 31 | 60 |
Ohio State set the tone early with an inspired half of play to open the afternoon. The Buckeyes took a double-digit lead before the midway mark of the period and went up by 15 in the final 30 seconds of the half. Illinois rallied back to make it a one-point game in the second half, but Bruce Thornton and Brice Sensabaugh both made huge plays late to stave off what threatened to be a come-from-behind victory for the Illini.
The Buckeyes’ freshman duo combined to score 34 points in the contest and Justice Sueing finished with 14 as Ohio State finally got over the hump to secure its first win of the month. In a reformed performance on both sides of the ball, the Buckeyes never trailed in the second half.
First Half
Ohio State unquestionably had its best opening half of the month on Sunday.
After giving up the first five points to Illinois, Bruce Thornton scored six of the first eight for the Buckeyes during an 8-0 stretch in which it took the lead and didn’t look back. From 14:06 to 10:38, Ohio State scored nine unanswered points to go up 10 on the Illini.
The Buckeyes led by as many as 15 points before halftime, as Thornton led the way with 13 points in the first 20 minutes alone. Ohio State shot 60.7% from the floor and 42.9% from 3-point range to take a 41-29 lead into the intermission.
Ohio State dominated on the glass (23-9), outscored the Illini 24-12 in the paint and showed a renewed commitment on defense. The Buckeyes limited Illinois to just 36.7% shooting and held Illini scoring leading Terrence Shannon to just two points on 1-for-6 shooting.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | ILLINOIS |
|---|---|---|
| 72 | POINTS | 60 |
| 30-56 (53.6%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 22-61 (36.1%) |
| 3-14 (21.4%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 6-29 (20.7%) |
| 9-10 (90%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 10-14 (71.4%) |
| 15 | TURNOVERS | 11 |
| 40 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 28 |
| 8 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 9 |
| 32 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 19 |
| 18 | BENCH POINTS | 15 |
| 3 | BLOCKS | 4 |
| 6 | STEALS | 4 |
| 10 | ASSISTS | 8 |
The Buckeyes might have built an even bigger lead had they not turned the ball over eight times in the opening period, seven more than they finished with in Thursday’s loss to Penn State.
Illinois only led for 2:31 of the first half, but managed to cut the Buckeye lead to 12 points with a 3-pointer right before the halftime buzzer sounded.
Second Half
Despite his first-half struggles, Shannon came alive in the second half to get the Illini back into it. The Texas Tech transfer scored six straight points during a 10-0 stretch for Illinois to cut the Buckeye lead down to four points by the 15:11 mark.
Ohio State held sturdy for the next several minutes, keeping Illinois at bay by two possessions. But when the Buckeyes could’ve used a momentum-changing 3-pointer to fall, Sean McNeil’s misfire led to an Illinois layup at the other end.
That bucket made it a two-point game with 10:16 to play, and by the 6:53 mark, an Illinois 3-pointer cut the Ohio State lead to one.
Sensabaugh gave the Buckeyes a shot of adrenaline a minute later with a one-handed transition dunk on Mayer to build the OSU lead back to five points. He wasn’t done there, though, as Sensabaugh hit a jumper on the following possession to make it a seven-point game.
BRICE SENSABAUGH POSTER.pic.twitter.com/6P5AcMk8Qq
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) February 26, 2023
Then it was Thornton’s turn. The freshman guard was quiet early in the second half, but hit back-to-back shots at 4:42 and 3:57 to give Ohio State a 10-point lead late. Thornton, who finished the contest with a game-high 20 points, knocked down a free throw to complete an and-one and put the Buckeyes back in the driver’s seat.
Shannon fouled out of the game at the 2:16 mark, and Ohio State closed out the Illini at the free-throw line the rest of the way.
Game Notes
- Illinois defeated Ohio State, 69-60, in the first meeting this season in Champaign on Jan. 24.
- Sunday’s matchup was the 191st meeting all-time between the two programs, with Illinois leading the series with 109 wins.
- The Buckeyes had won nine of the previous 11 meetings in Columbus.
- Ohio State started four true freshmen for the third straight game Sunday, with Justice Sueing joining Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Brice Sensabaugh and Felix Okpara in the starting lineup.
- Approximately 30 former and current Buckeye captains, including Michael Redd, Terence Dials, Aaron Craft and Joey Lane, were honored at halftime as part of Ohio State’s Captain’s Day.
- Ohio State partnered with Project 44 “with the mission to help fight cancer and save lives” and the Buckeyes wore Project 44 warmup shirts for Sunday’s game to support the non-profit organization that seeks to save lives through bone marrow donation.
