BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Ohio State avoided a slow start in Indiana, but quickly learned why it's so hard to beat the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall. A last-second shot in double overtime gave the Buckeyes the 80-78 victory and it was C.J. Jackson who delivered.
Jackson nailed the shot with 1.6 seconds left in the second overtime period, from right around NBA range. He said following the game it was the kind of shot he had never made before in a game, but it was hands down the biggest one of his career.
The Buckeyes started off the night hot, making their first three shots. After a trio of layups in the paint, it seemed like the battle under the rim would be a difference maker for Chris Holtmann's squad.
A rough night for Keita Bates-Diop in the first compounded by some foul trouble would not allow Ohio State to stretch out to a lead. The junior forward led all scorers with 13 points at the midway point, but went just 4-for-11 shooting and looked to be tired and hesitant with his shooting.
In the second, Bates-Diop was marginally better, finishing his night 9-for-24 with 24 points and 14 rebounds.
"It felt great. Like you said, I've been struggling the last few games," he said. "Tonight, I got back in rhythm and it was really a team effort. I know we had a lot of assists. I don't know how many."
Kam Williams started his night on a positive note and earned his 1,000 career point on a mid-range jumper, which also gave the Buckeyes their largest lead of the first half. The Hoosiers, continuing the trend of solid games for Robert Johnson, nearly knocked the Buckeyes off.
Indiana was proficient at pestering the Ohio State offense in the first and limiting open opportunities. Powered by strong bench scoring, in which the Hoosiers outscored their opponents 14-4, the game was tied at halftime.
Holtmann knew it would be a tough night for his players, but even he seemed relatively surprised with how much the Buckeyes had to give to leave with the win.
"I just give (Indiana) a lot of credit," Holtmann said. "They were battling possession for possession and I don't think other team really wanted to give in. We'd like to have back some possession back and I'm sure they would to. But at the end of the day, being able to stay with it and give ourselves a chance late, and C.J. making a heck of an instinctive play late. It is something that we practice, but the kid deserves the credit for the shot, because that's a deep 3."
Ohio State stretched out to a 26-14 lead with under six minutes to play, but an 8-0 run for Indiana kept the Hoosiers within striking distance. A pair of free throws from Josh Newkirk evened the score before the end of the first.
After the first 20 minutes of play, four different Buckeyes had two fouls, including Jae'Sean Tate. Normally a powerful and physical presence on the inside, Tate was neutralized for much of the opening frame, shooting the ball just once (a miss) and turning the ball over twice.
In the first, the Buckeyes had 10 assists on 12 made shots, but the same kind of fluid passing that got Ohio State a lead early was nowhere to be seen in the second.
Starting out the second half, Williams continued a hot night shooting, slamming home a fast break dunk off a C.J. Jackson steal. Indiana's Juwan Morgan, the team's leading scorer this season, picked up his third foul in the opening minutes of the second half and was forced to sit, paving the way for some easy buckets under the hoop for the Buckeyes.
On their first seven makes of the second, the Buckeyes had just one assist.
Indiana tied the game on multiple occasions, but Ohio State kept a consistent lead. With six minutes remaining, Zach McRoberts nailed a 3-pointer for Indiana to bring the Ohio State lead to two, before a turnover and a converted layup by Morgan tied things again, but the forward failed to convert a free throw.
Indiana took the lead on a layup by Newkirk with 3:55 remaining. The Hoosiers took the fast break down the court and took advantage of a two-on-one situation for Williams, who could not stop the cut to the basket.
Tate knocked down a tough layup before drawing a key charge with under three minutes to play. Initially, the call went in favor of the Hoosiers, but was overturned after a quick referee conference.
With things locked at 63 apiece, Tate missed a contested mid-range jumper, giving the Hoosiers possession with 22 seconds remaining. After a quick timeout, Johnson failed to convert a tough layup, sending the game into overtime, where both teams traded shots.
Williams knocked down a mid-range jumper to give the Buckeyes a 70-68 lead, but a missed 3-pointer from Bates-Diop on Ohio State's next possession gave Indiana one final chance. With Johnson at the line, the Hoosier guard made both with just seven seconds left.
On the ensuing possession, Tate swung the ball left, but both Jackson and Bates-Diop were occupying the space, both making a move for the ball and contact. It ended in a turnover that nearly cost Ohio State the game, but the two could laugh about it after.
"We both slide to the ball. I was supposed to take corner. That was on me," Bates-Diop chuckled. "I just wanted the ball. We slid towards each other and we were like this close and we both it and that was it."
Between some more traded baskets and Wesson fouling out, a tough layup by Bates-Diop gave Ohio State a one-point lead. But a backcourt violation by Andrew Dakich on a mishandled pass put the ball back in the Hoosiers hands, who got a layup from Morgan.
After that, it was Jackson's time to shine.
His 3-pointer sealed the deal for the Buckeyes on an emotionally and physically draining night for the team. Holtmann said the team's biggest focus over the course of the next few days will be rest with the grueling schedule Ohio State has went through recently.
Even with so many minutes played on Friday night, Jackson said the team was overjoyed afterwards.
"You dream of playing in venues like this when you're younger, and just to have one of these moments like this is unbelievable," he said.
The Big Ten tournament kicks off on Feb. 28, but Ohio State will not play until March 2, thanks to a double-bye.
