EVANSTON, Ill. – With the heartbreak of the Minnesota game still fresh on their minds, the Buckeyes were able to do something they haven’t done since the Kentucky game: outexecute an opponent down the stretch.

With less than five minutes remaining in the game, Ohio State led by only five points, but a surge of resistance helped the Buckeyes earn their third win in the Big Ten. In a month that had not gone Ohio State’s way, the Buckeyes were able to dig deep and secure the 71-59 victory over Northwestern.

The game did not start well for the Buckeyes. Desperately in search of a win, Ohio State needed over four minutes of action to get on the board. The Buckeyes would start the game making only one of their first 10 shots.

Falling behind 9-2 early, the Buckeyes needed an 8-0 run midway through the half to take the first lead of the game at 16-15.

As a team, the Buckeyes would rebound from their cold shooting spell. After starting the game missing their first five three pointers, the Buckeyes would hit six of their next eight from beyond the arc.

To help inspire improved shooting, Chris Holtmann called upon Justin Ahrens to help give the Buckeyes a lift. Ahrens was able to do just that, hitting a pair of threes in the first half. The sophomore did not record a minute against Minnesota, but he was able to finish the night against Northwestern with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three.

This performance marked only the second time Ahrens has scored double digits in a game. This was his second-highest scoring output next to his 29-point performance against Iowa on Feb. 26, 2019.

The Ohio State bench would provide 16 points for the Buckeyes in the first half. The Ohio State bench would outscore the Northwestern bench 39-10 in the game.

While Ahrens was able to provide a boost off the bench, it was the play of Andre Wesson that sparked Ohio State’s success in the first half. Wesson would knock down three shots to tally 11 points and four rebounds.

While the Buckeyes were able to jump out to a double-digit lead, Northwestern was able to end the half on a 9-2 run to make the halftime score 38-35 in favor of Ohio State. It was the explosive shooting of Miller Kopp, who finished the half with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, that propelled the Wildcats back into the game.

In the second half, Ohio State tried to continue the momentum from behind the arc, but they would hit only one of their first six attempts in the half. The three-point line became a popular spot for the Buckeyes, who had taken 20 of its first 37 shots from beyond the arc. Ohio State would finish the game hitting 11 of its 29 shots from three.

After falling behind 44-41, D.J. Carton was able to respond with a pair of unanswered layups. The freshman was able to be a source of energy all night for Ohio State, and he would finish the game with 17 points and two steals off the bench.

With Carton as the catalyst, the Buckeyes would go on an 8-0 run to take a 49-44 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game.

With 7:35 remaining in the game, the Buckeyes led 57-51, but Kaleb Wesson, who would finish the game with 11 points and nine rebounds, was stationed on the bench with four fouls. In Wesson’s absence, Ohio Stat was not only able to hold off Northwestern but they were able to balloon the lead to 10 points with 2:40 remaining in the game.

In fact, Holtmann did not sub Kaleb Wesson back in until 56.3 seconds were remaining in the game. The Buckeyes were still holding on to a 10-point lead at this point.

Ohio State was able to hold on and earn its first true road game since the blowout against North Carolina on Dec. 4.

Ohio State will return to the court Saturday for a rematch against Indiana. The game will tip at noon at the Schottenstein Center.