Ohio State simply ran out of juice in its latest Big Ten road squeeze.
A 15-0 run by Illinois in the late minutes of the second half took a close game and made it a cruise to victory for the No. 18 Fighting Illini (14-7, 7-5 Big Ten) against the Buckeyes (13-9, 5-6) in an 87-79 result.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 42 | 37 | 79 |
| #18 ILLINOIS | 36 | 51 | 87 |
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Ohio State, who couldn't hold on despite briefly holding a double-digit second-half lead in its third road game across its last four contests. Illinois gave the Buckeyes problems with their size, outscoring them 52-30 in the paint before their ravenous home fans in the State Farm Center.
Forward Will Riley collected 24 points, 18 of them coming in the second half, to lead the charge for Illinois. Three other players hit double-figures for the Illini, who outrebounded Ohio State 43-31.
Devin Royal and Bruce Thornton were Ohio State's stars in the loss, picking up 29 and 22 points, respectively.
First Half
Royal seemed like he drank a can of jet fuel pregame with how fast he came out in the first half. The Buckeyes sophomore collected 11 points in the first 6:15, using excellent position on the inside to drain four shots around the rim but also nailing a top-of-the-key 3-pointer.
Illinois answered Royal's presence with great interior scoring and two runs. The Fighting Illini scored 23 points in the opening nine minutes and 16 of them came in the paint, with Ohio State center Aaron Bradshaw getting into early foul trouble.
Ohio State led 14-6 after Royal's triple but a 10-0 Illinois run featuring buckets from four different players made it a 16-14 Illini lead. A Royal dunk and Thornton 3 reclaimed the lead for the Buckeyes but another 7-0 Illinois run followed, setting the score at 23-19.
Then it was the Buckeyes' turn for a run. Thornton converted an old-fashioned three-point play and John Mobley Jr. splashed a long triple, then a quick four points from Micah Parrish capped a 10-0 torrent. A Royal triple and steal-and-layup from Thornton pushed Ohio State's lead to nine points a few minutes later.
The Fighting Illini countered right back with a 10-0 run, but the Buckeyes had an 8-1 run to close the half. Royal collected five more points in the final minutes including his third 3-pointer, already a career-high.
Royal finished his sizzling first 20 minutes with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Ohio State led 42-36 entering the locker room.
Second Half
| OHIO STATE | STAT | ILLINOIS |
|---|---|---|
| 79 | POINTS | 87 |
| 27-73 (37%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 30-58 (51.7%) |
| 11-23 (47.8%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 4-20 (20%) |
| 14-15 (93.3%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 23-31 (74.2%) |
| 5 | TURNOVERS | 11 |
| 31 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 43 |
| 13 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 11 |
| 18 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 32 |
| 4 | BENCH POINTS | 43 |
| 2 | BLOCKS | 3 |
| 3 | STEALS | 2 |
| 6 | ASSISTS | 10 |
During the three-game winning steak the Buckeyes rode into Sunday, they've come out with exceptional energy to start second halves. For roughly four minutes, they did it again against Illinois.
Mobley and Thornton each nailed 3-pointers while Royal kept his hot streak going and Ohio State's lead reached its largest of the game at 52-41. But, as the Fighting Illini had done all game long, they launched a run to get right back into the thick of things before their unrelenting home crowd.
Tomislav Ivisic converted back-to-back layups through the defense of Ivan Njegovan, then a desperation heave as the shot clock expired landed dead on the rim and into the hands of guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn for an easy putback layup. Jake Diebler called a timeout to try to stop the bleeding but Gibbs-Lawhorn came up with a steal and massive tomahawk slam the following possession.
That completed a 10-2 Illinois run, then a 3-pointer by Riley equalized the contest at 56-56. Thornton answered with another triple but Riley grabbed a bucket and an additional free throw to keep things equalized.
Thornton kept attacking. He showed some nifty dribble moves to generate a layup then canned another 3-pointer off the dribble at the top of the key. Then everything went cold. Ohio State went five minutes without scoring a point as Illinois launched the 15-0 run that put the Buckeyes away.
Riley got a goaltending call and a drive to the hoop for a bucket. Illinois forward Kylan Boswell converted a 3-point play and the Illini took their first lead of the second half at 70-68. Boswell eventually rattled off six consecutive points to make it 78-68 with 2:45 to play.
Ohio State tried fouling to extend the game and clawed back a little bit down the stretch, getting as close as six points, but fell 87-79.
What's Next
After playing three of its last four games on the road, Ohio State returns to Value City Arena on Thursday for a home matchup with Maryland, hungry for revenge after the Terrapins beat the Buckeyes 83-59 earlier this year. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. on FS1.
Game Notes
- Bradshaw made his first start since Nov. 19 against Evansville and his fifth total of the season as Sean Stewart, who had been starting at the 5, missed the game against Illinois with an undisclosed ailment. Bradshaw finished with two points and two rebounds in 18 minutes thanks in part to his foul trouble.
- Forward Colin White (injury) made his return in the second half against the Fighting Illini. Guard Meechie Johnson Jr. (personal reasons) remains out for Ohio State.
- Illinois finished 23-of-31 from the free-throw line as 25 fouls were called against the Buckeyes.
