COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Buckeyes knocked away a 16-point deficit in the second half and took advantage of a 14-0 run to earn their first conference win of the 2020-21 season.
No. 23 Ohio State (7-1, 1-1) defeated No. 11 Rutgers (6-1, 1-1) at the Schottenstein Center on Wednesday by a score of 80-68.
"One of the more unique games I've been a part of in terms of the ebb and flow of the game," head coach Chris Holtmann said. "Players turned the tide of this game. They made the necessary plays."
Duane Washington Jr. (22 points, six rebounds), E.J. Liddell (21 points, six rebounds) and Kyle Young (17 points, 12 rebounds ) earned career-highs in scoring to lead Ohio State to its comeback victory.
It was the second Big Ten game of the season for the Buckeyes, who dropped three spots to No. 23 in the latest AP Top 25. The Scarlet Knights, coming off a 91-88 win over then-No. 13 Illinois, rose to No. 11, which is the highest they’ve been ranked since their Final Four team in 1975-76.
The Scarlet Knights brought energy in the first half and carried their lead throughout the second behind hot shooting from junior forward Ron Harper Jr. However, the losses of big man Myles Johnson, who fouled out with 8:44 in the second half, and Jacob Young, who took a hard fall on a shot and exited with 7:29 to go, paved the way for Buckeye standouts to come back.
"When the big man fouled out I kind of grinned inside, but I didn't grin out loud," Liddell said. "That was another opportunity to go in the paint and dominate. I don't know how many offensive rebounds Kyle had, but he was a big factor, Musa too."
The Buckeyes donned grey alternate uniforms in tribute to Jim Jackson, who will be inducted into the National Collegiate Hall of Fame. Ohio State trotted out its familiar starting lineup, featuring C.J. Walker, Washington Jr., Justice Sueing, Liddell and Young.
Harper Jr. caught the opening tip but the Scarlet Knights couldn’t score on their first possession. Washington Jr. nailed the game’s first points with a three-pointer on his team’s second possession.
The Buckeyes quickly got out to a 5-0 lead as Washington Jr. nailed the game’s first points with a three-pointer, but the Scarlet Knights came roaring back as junior guard Montez Mathis scored the first points for the Scarlet Knights 2:19 into the game. Rutgers went on a 7-0 scoring drive and took a 7-5 lead after Mathis nailed a three-pointer just over a minute later.
Redshirt-junior guard Musa Jallow and freshman forward Zed Key were the first Buckeyes off the bench after the timeout just after five minutes into the game when it was a one-point game. Key made a block with 13:24 to go in the first half.
The Scarlet Knights maintained possession after the block, and Harper Jr. scored his first points after seven minutes with a jumper and three-pointer, contributing to a 22-6 Rutgers run with 10 minutes left in the first half.
Liddell scored five points in a 3:15 stretch to help bring it to a 27-18 game with 6:16 left in the first half, keyed by an offensive rebound by Young who also dunked on a fast break.
"You've got to have good players that can finish the game and make plays like they did," Holtmann said. "Our group has shown a resolve and a poise necessary, and that's good to see."
The Buckeyes’ first half struggles featured a 10% three-point shooting rate, behind just one make from 10 attempts. Ohio State also pulled down five offensive rebounds, but only capitalized on four second-chance points.
Just five players contributed in scoring for Ohio State in the first half, behind eight each for Liddell and Young. Twenty of Ohio State' 28 first-half points came from inside the paint.
Coming out of the break down 38-28, Young led a Buckeyes 4-0 scoring run to cut the deficit to six. The senior played tight defense and grabbed two offensive rebounds in the first three minutes of the second half.
The Scarlet Knights went on a 10-0 run immediately afterward, propelled by eight points from Harper Jr., including two three-pointers. Washington Jr. broke the streak with back-to-back three-pointers of his own
Seth Towns entered with 13:36 and grabbed an offensive rebound before knocking down his first shot as a Buckeye just 18 seconds later.
The Buckeyes pulled within eight with 11:06 after Liddell hit a jumper. Towns collected his second offensive rebound and worked down low for another score, making it a 55-49 game with 10 minutes to go.
"Being a great team player," Liddell said. "He brings great energy everyday. We're all happy for him because we know how hard he works, he puts in extra hours and extra work just to get back out on the court and help this team win."
Rutgers junior center and leading rebounder Myles Johnson fouled out with 8:44 remaining and was already without fellow big-man Clifford Omoruyi. Jallow made an and-one to make it a four-point game.
Just over two minutes later, Young knocked down another jumper to inch closer, 61-59. Harper Jr. missed a jumper on the next possession, and Washington Jr. made his own to tie the game with 4:54 left.
"Buckeye nation knows I'm a pretty confident guy," Washington Jr. said. "I'm always going to be confident and look for my shot. We're going to keep grinding, keep getting better, enjoy this 'W' and get ready for our next one."
The Buckeyes took advantage of a technical foul assessed to Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell, and Washington Jr. drained his two free throws to give Ohio State its first lead since the first four minutes of the game.
The Buckeyes outscored the Scarlet Knights 52-30 in the second half to earn their win.
Ohio State will hit the road for its next game at Northwestern on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff.
