Ohio State Drops 15th Straight Road Game in 79-77 Loss to Iowa

The Buckeyes (13-9, 3-8 Big Ten) kept things close the entire way but failed to close down the stretch against Iowa (13-9, 5-6), dropping their 15th consecutive road game and seventh contest of their last eight in 79-77 fashion.

Iowa received 20 points from guard Tony Perkins. Payton Sandfort and Josh Dix followed with 17 and 14.

Four players hit double figures for Ohio State. Jamison Battle led the way with 17 points, Felix Okpara and Bruce Thornton each got 14 while Roddy Gayle Jr. collected 12. 

It took more than 30 minutes of game time for either side to lead by more than four points.

Ohio State and Iowa scored a combined 78 points in the paint in an interior-dominated game.

The Buckeyes held a 40-28 rebounding advantage with 11 second-chance points, while Iowa saw some great work in transition with a 17-0 edge in fastbreak points.

First half

A track meet broke out at the start of Friday's contest.

Ohio State and Iowa scored 20 combined points within the first 4:08 of play and the pace only slowed a touch from there. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 10-6 lead off threes from Jamison Battle and Roddy Gayle Jr., but the Hawkeyes countered with a 7-0 run to go up 13-10.

Perkins provided Iowa's primary spark, collecting eight points in the first 10 minutes. Devin Royal came off the bench for Ohio State and helped them hang around, grabbing six points in a five-minute span to help knot the contest at 23 apiece. He finished the opening period with eight points.

Gayle got going next, converting an old-fashioned three-point play to spark a 7-0 Ohio State run that put the Buckeyes up 30-27.

Okpara closed the half strong, scoring a left-handed post hook as the shot clock wound down on Ohio State's final full possession and blocking a shot to help force a shot-clock violation on Iowa's last trip up the floor.

With both teams shooting 50% or better from the field, the Buckeyes carried a 38-36 lead into halftime. Okpara had already hit double figures, picking up 10 points.

Second half

Both teams came out hot again in the second half.

Fourteen points were scored in the first 3:32 of the period, with Gayle and Thornton both hitting threes for Ohio State, answered by a Sandfort triple and a trio of fastbreak buckets from Iowa.

An 8-0 run featuring five points from Perkins put Iowa up 59-54 with 9:17 to play, the first time either team led by more than four points.

Battle helped keep Ohio State afloat, banking in a triple, collecting a second-chance basket and hitting a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 67-65 with 4:34 remaining. Thornton tied the game with a pretty drive and finish, Perkins answered seconds later with a mid-range jumper.

An emphatic two-handed jam over a defender from Okpara made it 74-73 Iowa with less than a minute to play.

Then a double-dribble from Okpara gave Iowa the ball back with 24 seconds left as Ohio State was looking to take the lead.

A battle of free-throw shooting ensued from there, but with Patrick McCaffery hitting four in a row in the final 21 seconds, the Buckeyes couldn't pull back even with the Hawkeyes.

Dale Bonner intentionally missed a free throw with 4.5 seconds left but Ohio State failed to corral the offensive rebound with a chance to tie or win the game.

What's next

Ohio State returns home to play Indiana, who beat the Buckeyes in Bloomington 71-65 earlier this year. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, with Peacock set to stream the game.

Game notes

• Royal tied his season-high for minutes, playing 17 against the Hawkeyes.
• Battle has now collected three triples in back-to-back games, going 3-of-5 from distance against Iowa.
• Iowa took a lead in the all-time series between the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes, now 85-84 against Ohio State.
• Now at 397 days since its last road win, Ohio State will surpass 400 before it plays Wisconsin in Madison on Feb. 13.