Ohio State led for more than 18 minutes of the second half against No. 15 Oregon but could not prevail for a third ranked win this season.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| #15 OREGON | 27 | 46 | 73 |
| OHIO STATE | 32 | 39 | 71 |
The Buckeyes (10-6, 2-3) fell to the Ducks (14-2, 3-2), 73-71, in Value City Arena.
Guard Jackson Shelstad and forward Nate Bittle led the way for Oregon with 24 and 21 points. Four Buckeyes scored in double-figures as Bruce Thornton collected 20 points, John Mobley Jr. 16, Sean Stewart a career-high 14 and Micah Parrish 11.
Three-pointers from Mobley and Thornton surged Ohio State out to a 10-5 lead early, only for Oregon to respond with a 7-0 run. The Ducks responded with five straight points of their own, however, and from there the teams traded baskets a while.
Tied at 23, the Buckeyes launched an 8-0 run to gain the first real separation of the game. Great passing found Stewart open for a two-handed slam, Royal splashed a 3-pointer and Parrish cashed in a layup. Four points from Bittle cut the lead back down to 32-27 Ohio State at halftime.
Oregon sliced the edge down to 34-32 at the start of the second half, but a 7-0 Buckeye jaunt fueled by a Mobley triple and two Thornton makes pushed the advantage back to nine. Parrish sank two 3s to help hold it there as the Ducks swung back.
Mobley hit a pass fake into a floater to make it 54-46, then Brandon Angel scored five in a row for Oregon to cut it back to five again. Thornton went between his legs to pull up off the dribble for a 3 and Ohio State led 57-51 at the under-eight media timeout. He then hit a mid-range jumper to make it 59-51.
Down 61-53, the Ducks answered with a 6-0 run, only for Thornton to hit a pair of free throws then hit a defender with a nasty pump fake for a wide-open floater. Bittle and Keeshawn Barthelemy both hit threes for Oregon.
Finally, a Shelstad triple gave the Ducks their first lead since 16-15 at 68-67. A TJ Bamba floater made it 70-67, but Ohio State wouldn't go quietly. Evan Mahaffey stuck back a Thornton miss, then the Bucks stole the ball and Mobley drew a foul, hitting both free throws to go up 71-70.
But Shelstad drew a foul from Ques Glover the following possession and hit both free throws to put Oregon up 72-71 before Thornton missed a 3 on the other end and the Ducks ran out a win from there.
Ohio State next travels to Wisconsin to play the Badgers in the Kohl Center. Tip-off is at 9 p.m. on Peacock.
