Garza, first half deficit too much to overcome for Buckeyes in 73-57 loss
COLUMBUS, Ohio –– Ohio State’s late-season slump continued in a downward trajectory Sunday, as Iowa center Luka Garza and the Hawkeyes extended the Buckeyes losing streak to three in the penultimate game of the regular season.
Garza, who scored just five points in the second half of an 89-85 loss to the Buckeyes on Feb. 4, put up 24 points and 11 rebounds on No. 4 Ohio State (18-7, 12-7 Big Ten) to exact revenge in the rematch, as No. 9 Iowa (18-7, 12-6) nearly the entire way in a 73-57 win at the Schottenstein Center.
"We couldn't do much. We weren't able to take away some of his strengths when we were playing him one-on-one," head coach Chris Holtmann said. "I didn't think we had enough detail, and some of that is we've got some young guys playing him. But that's my fault, we obviously gotta guard him better."
Iowa junior guard Joe Wieskamp added 19 points of his own, and his 3-point shooting was key in putting the Buckeyes away despite a spirited comeback attempt early in the second half following a double-digit deficit at halftime.
Facing a blowout down 14 at the start of the second half, Ohio State quickly changed its fortunes with six-straight makes to begin the final 20 minutes, including two 3-pointers from redshirt junior forward Justice Sueing as part of an 11-0 Buckeye run.
Redshirt senior guard CJ Walker added six points of his own in the stretch, which cut the Iowa lead to 44-42 in the opening 3:11 of the half.
But Garza kept hitting shots to keep Ohio State from coming all the way back, until Wieskamp’s fifth 3 of the game broke things open once again for the Hawkeyes with eight minutes to go, giving Iowa a commanding 13-point lead.
"They had a good attack with some of our double-teams, and they made shots," Holtmann said.
Sophomore forward E.J. Liddell led the Buckeyes with 15 points on the day, hitting 7-of-11 shots from the field in the loss.
Ohio State’s poor offensive display to end the Michigan State game spilled right over into the opening 20 minutes against Iowa, as the Buckeyes tied their lowest point total in any first half this season to trail the Hawkeyes 42-28.
Outside of Liddell, the Ohio State roster combined to score just 15 points in the first half on sub-.300 shooting.
"We've probably got some guys that are struggling a little bit, a little bit fatigued, struggling with maybe a little bit of confidence right now," Holtmann said. "So hopefully we can get that figured out."
For Iowa, Garza and Wieskamp alone combined for as many points as Ohio State had as a team, with the Hawkeye big man notching a game-high 15, and the Iowa wing not far behind with 13 of his own.
Junior guard Duane Washington, who missed his first four shots of the game after ending last Thursday’s game on five-straight misses, briefly came alive toward the end of the first half, hitting a deep jumper and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to cut the Iowa lead from 12 to seven in just over a minute of game time.
However, the Hawkeyes retaliated with a 9-0 run featuring five points from Wieskamp to take their largest lead of the game to that point at 41-25.
Ohio State’s only lead, which came via a Liddell jumper on the first possession of the game, lasted for all of 30 seconds.
"We just haven't been where we need to be physically. Both with our health and just with our overall energy," Holtmann said.
The Buckeyes have nearly a week off before returning to the Schottenstein Center for their regular season finale against Illinois next Saturday, with the tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m.