Wednesday's Ohio State game against Rutgers was a roller-coaster.
The Buckeyes started 9-of-11 from three-point range against a Rutgers defense that entered allowing the 15th-fewest points per 100 possessions in the country. Ohio State went from down one point with 11:38 to play in the first half to up 17 with 4:14 left before halftime off the back of five of those makes.
But Rutgers made things plenty interesting down the stretch.
Getting as close as one point down with 3:20 to play and then two points with 15 seconds left, the Scarlet Knights put plenty of a scare into the Value City Arena crowd.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| RUTGERS | 32 | 40 | 72 |
| OHIO STATE | 45 | 31 | 76 |
But thanks to prolific outings from Bruce Thornton and Jamison Battle, the Buckeyes (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) never ultimately relinquished their initial large lead in a 76-72 win over Rutgers (8-5, 1-1) to open full-time Big Ten play and the 2024 section of their schedule.
Battle went 5-of-5 from downtown during the Buckeyes' sizzling opening stretch, catalyzing a 22-point performance.
Thornton picked up a team-high 24 points on a 9-for-15 shooting night. Combined, the two had 46 of the team's 76 points.
Guard Derek Simpson led the way for Rutgers in the loss, collecting 23 points. Fellow guard Noah Fernandes added 17.
First half
Battle got the scorching shooting started.
Thornton pulled in an early rebound and found an outlet to the former Minnesota forward, who fooled his defender with a nasty jab step and knocked down a left-wing triple.
Thornton then again found Battle for a catch-and-shoot attempt from the right wing and canned that shot too. Once more, a catch-and-shoot fell for Battle and he was already 3-for-3 from outside in the first 4:22 of game time.
Rutgers, normally one of the Big Ten's worst shooting teams – the Scarlet Knights rank outside the top 320 nationally in both shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage – hung around with some effective mid-range play. Point guard Noah Fernandes spread eight points out across the first 7:30 of play, mostly from that area of the floor. Simpson scored nine points of his own in the opening seven minutes.
When Scarlet Knights forward Gavin Griffiths knocked down a three that might have been closer to the half-court line than the actual three-point line, it put Rutgers ahead 20-19 with 11:38 still to play in a fast-paced first half.
That's when the Buckeyes made their move.
Freshman Scotty Middleton got things going by draining an open three, then center Felix Okpara turned an offensive rebound into points after two tries. Thornton converted a mid-range jumper off the dribble, but then came one of the crispest displays of ball movement Ohio State displayed on Wednesday.
Battle took the ball in transition and drove down low to draw two defenders. He zipped a pass to Roddy Gayle Jr. in the opposite corner, who immediately swung it to Thornton at the top of the key, who immediately swung it to Middleton, who finally dumped it back to Battle on the perimeter. Battle hit his fourth triple in as many tries to close an 11-0 Ohio State run that put the Buckeyes ahead 30-20.
Ball movement pic.twitter.com/oWF0j02RmC
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) January 4, 2024
Next it was Thornton's turn to heat up from outside as he hit two threes, the second of which sparked another 8-0 run. Battle closed that jaunt with a fast-break slam and his fifth triple and Ohio State took its largest lead of the game at 17 points, up 41-24 with 4:14 left in the half.
Rutgers managed to cut into its deficit a bit with an 8-2 run, but another Thornton jumper made the tally 45-32 Ohio State at halftime.
Second half
Rutgers cut the lead to single digits to open the second period but Thornton settled things down with another clean mid-range jumper.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | RUTGERS |
|---|---|---|
| 76 | POINTS | 72 |
| 28-60 (46.7%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 27-67 (40.3%) |
| 11-24 (45.8%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 6-24 (25%) |
| 9-12 (75%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 12-14 (85.7%) |
| 13 | TURNOVERS | 11 |
| 35 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 39 |
| 8 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 13 |
| 27 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 26 |
| 8 | BENCH POINTS | 5 |
| 3 | BLOCKS | 5 |
| 3 | STEALS | 5 |
| 17 | ASSISTS | 7 |
Gayle then broke through for his first make on a backdoor cut and two-hand slam, but soon the Scarlet Knights whittled the lead down to seven points.
It was again Battle's shooting that served as a response, making a three off the back of a Gayle layup to put Ohio State up 56-44 with 12:34 to play.
This time, the Scarlet Knights cut the Buckeyes' lead to five points with 8:44 remaining. Thornton pulled up from mid-range again, drew a foul and swished the shot, drawing a huge reaction from the Ohio State crowd. He converted the ensuing free throw to boot.
But soon forward Mawot Mag and Simpson combined to make it a three-point lead. Then a close-range make from Mag made it a one-point contest.
Roddy Gayle Jr. stepped confidently into an outside shot from the top of the key and nailed his first three of the game, putting Ohio State up 72-66 with 1:29 remaining.
Rutgers found a three in response from Fernandes, but the Buckeyes were ultimately able to close things out with Thornton and Gayle making a pair of free throws each in the game’s final minute.
What's next
Ohio State gets its second true road test of the season – and first since it blew an 18-point second-half lead at Penn State on Dec. 9 – when it travels to Bloomington to face Indiana on Saturday. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. on FOX.
Game notes
- Battle is the first Ohio State player to hit five threes in three straight games since Jon Diebler in 2009.
- The Buckeyes had 13 turnovers, including a sequence of three turnovers on three straight possessions in the second half.
- Gayle tweaked his left ankle during the contest and was visibly hobbled but played through it.
