COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With three seconds remaining on the shot clock and under 35 remaining in-game, Illinois freshman guard Ayo Dosunmu hoisted a three-point shot over a pair of Ohio state defenders. Nothing but net to ice the game.
Not much else produced by either side during the game looked anything similar. The Buckeyes (16-8, 6-7 Big Ten) fell at home to underdog Illinois (10-15, 6-8) by a 63-56 final tally. Redshirt senior guard C.J. Jackson led all scorers with 17, but committed seven turnovers.
"Every night [in the Big Ten] you can get beat if you don't show up," junior forward Andre Wesson said. "We came out tonight, we weren't prepared, and that's on me and us older guys."
Speaking of turnovers, the Buckeyes and Illini combined for 31 Thursday. Eighteen by the former.
If that's not uncoordinated enough, 45 fouls were called and 42 free throws attempted in the contest. Both teams shot under 30% from behind the arc.
"They made a few more plays," coach Chris Holtmann said, keeping it brief post-game. "We obviously have to play better."
Thursday’s contest started sloppily. Ohio State and Illinois combined for seven turnovers in the opening 7:29. Teams committed nine fouls in a span that included three ties and three lead changes.
A lay-in by Illinois sophomore guard Trent Frazier put the squad ahead 15-12 into the second media timeout.
Ohio State’s lack of consistent scoring threats emerged soon after. A 3:42 scoring drought took a free throw from redshirt senior guard C.J. Jackson to break.
"I thought some of [our shots] were clean, I thought some of them were rushed," Holtmann said. "I thought they did a good job taking us out of our offense."
During the same stretch the Buckeyes turned the ball over twice, allowing Illinois to launch a 7-0 run and lead 27-18 with 3:51 left in the first half.
Sophomore forward Kaleb Wesson hit a three-pointer before halftime, slicing the lead to three at 30-27. Illinois closed the final 4:21 without a field goal.
Together, 21 fouls and 17 turnovers were committed by the two teams -- in the first half. The Buckeyes were responsible for 10 of the giveaways.
Two more turnovers committed in the opening minutes of half two gave Illinois a chance to expand its lead. Up 37-33 after a pass thrown away by Andre Wesson, Frazier drove inside and missed a shot from close range. The ball deflected off the trees underneath to Illinois freshman guard Alan Griffin, who batted it out to the right wing where Frazier returned. He drained a three to set the score at 40-33.
Immediately a 7-0 run tied the score for Ohio State, Jackson dusting off a three-point play off a steal by sophomore forward Kyle Young to knot things up at 40, 13:02 to play.
Clearly, turnovers remained a key factor in the game in the second half, same as the first. Fouls did the same.
Young fouled out with 8:40 to play, and freshman guard Duane Washington gave the Buckeyes a lead after getting fouled on a dunk overtop Griffin. The arena erupted on the play.
It became quiet again when Illinois trudged ahead of the Buckeyes 51-46 with 5:15 to play, outpacing them 6-1 over a 3:13 stretch.
"We have to do a better job as coaches trying to put our guys in better position, and our upper classmen have to lead in a more effective way," Holtmann said.
Fouls continued to pile up, with Illinois sophomore guard Da'Monte Williams exiting early.
Kaleb Wesson followed him a minute later, ending with 11 points.
Trailing 55-50, Ohio State entered a slow bid to come back in the final minutes. Trading more free throws, Jackson cut the lead to three on another old-fashioned three-point play. Freshman guard Luther Muhammad brought it back to that point with two more Buckeye free throws, attempts 24 and 25 for the team, and the score stood 59-56 with 57 seconds remaining.
The Buckeyes never could tie or take the lead.
"We just couldn't get stops," Andre Wesson said. "When you're down you can't go back-and-forth, you gotta get stops."
Ohio State remains on the bubble for the NCAA tournament at the end of this season, and this game will be considered a "bad loss", hurting its chances.
"We won't talk about [tournament scenarios]," Holtmann said. "We'll talk about getting better."
Ohio State introduced the football coaching staff for 2019 at halftime, with coach Ryan Day thanking fans for their support and expressing his desire to see them at the spring game.
