It may be Super Bowl Sunday, but Ohio State fell short of a potential big win for its own postseason ambitions on the road.
Despite a career-high 30 points from Buckeye guard Micah Parrish, Nebraska (16-8, 6-7 Big Ten) handed Ohio State (14-10, 6-7) a 79-71 defeat in Pinnacle Bank Arena.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 39 | 32 | 71 |
| NEBRASKA | 34 | 45 | 79 |
Star guard Brice Williams led the charge for Nebraska, picking up 24 points and 10 rebounds as Ohio State's bigs struggled to defend him and his teammates around the rim without fouling. Forward Juwan Gary and guard Berke Buyuktuncel followed with 19 and 15 points.
After a career performance against Maryland, star Buckeye point guard Bruce Thornton finished with just nine points with only one coming in the second half. Guard John Mobley Jr. found some good offense in the loss with 21 points.
Ohio State's trio at center – Sean Stewart, Aaron Bradshaw and Ivan Njegovan – finished a combined 1-of-8 from the field with just seven rebounds and eight fouls.
First Half
A high-paced first 10 minutes of action saw a Nebraska team that couldn't miss a shot for a while. The Huskers opened 9-of-11 from the field, hitting everything from open layups to contested NBA-range 3-pointers.
Williams collected 11 points in the first eight minutes as Nebraska launched a 13-2 run to take a 21-12 lead before the second media timeout. Parrish got to work cutting the deficit, grabbing three points the new-fashioned and old-fashioned ways on back-to-back possessions to slice the edge to 25-20. Another distance make off Parrish's hand made it a 27-25 ballgame.
Star forward Devin Royal sustained a lower-body injury with 9:30 to play in the half and went to the locker room, but Nebraska forward Juwan Gary responded in kind by picking up his second foul the following possession.
The rapid-fire offense of the game's opening minutes cooled a bit after they departed for the rest of the half. Nebraska went from shooting 12-of-16 in the opening 10 minutes to 2-of-11 the rest of the first half, opening the door for Parrish to convert another 3-point play and give the Buckeyes a 30-29 lead as part of a 12-2 Ohio State run.
Neither team made a field goal for more than three minutes as the half neared its close but Thornton broke through with an elbow jumper to beat the shot clock and give Ohio State its first two-score lead at 39-34 with 1:07 left in the half, a margin that held into the locker room.
Second Half
Parrish canned a triple to open the second half at expand the Buckeyes' lead to 42-34, but the Huskers answered with an 8-0 run to even the score. Parrish hit a pretty double-clutch scoop layup to reclaim the lead. Ohio State received more good news as Royal checked back into the game.
The fantastic outing continued for Parrish as he scored the Buckeyes' next four points from there to make him responsible for their first nine points to open the second half. Nebraska countered with some makes from Gary and Buyuktuncel. An Essegian layup and Andrew Morgan conversion off a Buckeye backcourt turnover sparked a 13-0 run, which Williams closed with an and-one layup, to give the Huskers a 55-48 lead.
Mobley became the first Buckeye not named Parrish to score in the second half with a floater, only for Buyuktuncel to answer with a triple and expand the Nebraska lead to 58-50. Mobley countered with his own 3-pointer, then Parrish connected on one the following possession.
The Huskers clung to their edge with several free throws thanks to being in the bonus. Mobley splashed a logo triple and the stage was set at 62-60 Nebraska at the under-four media timeout.
Husker guard Rollie Wooster knocked down a 3-pointer and Williams rose above his defender to cash in a mid-range jumper to make Nebraska’s lead 67-60 with 2:29 to play. Williams drew a foul to put Sean Stewart out of the game with his fifth and expanded the lead to 69-61, though Parrish made another splash to cut it to 69-64.
But Nebraska kept cashing in its free throws and coasted out for a 79-71 win.
What's Next
Ohio State returns home for three games after playing three of its last four contests on the road. The Buckeyes open the homestand with Washington, who is last in the Big Ten, on Wednesday. Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Game Notes
- Ohio State was at full-strength to start against Nebraska with the exception of guard Meechie Johnson Jr., who has not played since Dec. 14 while addressing a personal matter.
- The Huskers have been a different team at home this year, now 10-2 defending Pinnacle Bank Arena against a 4-5 record on the road.
- Nebraska scored more points during the first 10 minutes of its game against the Buckeyes (25) than it did the next 20 minutes (23), though it was enough for a 48-48 tie ballgame at that point.
- The Buckeyes are now 3-4 all-time on Super Bowl Sunday.
