The Buckeyes tried to give this one away, but clutched it in the final minute to get a split in LA.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (16-13, 8-10) and the USC Trojans (14-14, 6-11) faced off in some late-night hoops in Los Angeles, Calif., at the Galen Center, home of the Trojans.
Ohio State came into this contest on a three-game losing streak and 0-1 so far on the West Coast trip. However, during that losing streak, The team was hit hard with the flu. Center Aaron Bradshaw and walk-on Colby Baumann have missed the last two games and were not with the team, and John Mobley Jr. and Sean Stewart were questionable last game against UCLA. Both started the game, but Stewart only played 12 minutes against the Bruins.
In this one, The Buckeyes were back to almost full health, as only Bradshaw and Baumann were on the injury report, and they both were available to play.
The Buckeyes have met USC six times, with this being game number seven. USC and OSU have split the series 3-3.
Sean Stewart was the offensive catalyst to start the game, hitting two mid-range jumpers to start the Buckeyes off. John Mobley Jr. hit two three-pointers, and Ohio State took a 10-9 lead in the under-16 media timeout. USC’s Josh Cohen had each of the Trojans’ first two baskets of the game but did not score again for the remainder of the first half.
Ohio State is 4-1 when Bradshaw hits a three pointer, and he knocked one down 4:50 into the game to make it 13-9 Ohio State. The Buckeyes came into this game shooting 21 percent from three-point range in the last two games, but they started 5-for-5 from three-point range in this one, coming from four different players.
Ohio State went on a 9-0 run to take a 34-19 lead and started 14-for-17 from the field and 6-for-6 from three-point range.
The Buckeyes continued to knock down shots, holding onto their double-digit lead with a 52-38 lead heading into halftime, which matched their highest-scoring half of the season.
As a team, they shot 19-for-26 (73 percent) and 8-for-9 from three-point range (88 percent) in the first half. They started 8-for-8 from three, only missing their final one. Thornton led the Buckeyes with 14 points and Mobley added 11, while Chibuzo Agbo of USC had 11 points for the Trojans.
The second half started the same as the first, as the Buckeyes and Trojans continued to trade baskets. Devin Royal recorded a quick six points, and Agbo continued to score for the Trojans.
Sean Stewart recorded a put-back dunk, and the Buckeyes led 64-51 heading into the under-16 media timeout. USC answered with a 6-0 run in the next two minutes and 30 seconds to cut the Ohio State lead to 64-57 and force an Ohio State timeout.
The Buckeyes started 9-for-10 from three-point range but then went on an 0-for-4 cold spell during the USC run. Micah Parrish knocked down two three-pointers to help stave off USC, but the Trojans continued to apply pressure, and Ohio State led 72-67 at the under-8 timeout. Both teams were in the bonus in fouls.
The Buckeyes made both free throws to take a 74-67 lead. However, USC answered with an 8-2 run to cut the Ohio State lead to one point at the under-4 timeout, with Thornton heading to the line for two free throws.
Thornton and Royal each hit two free throws to put the Buckeye lead back out to five points. USC quickly answered with a 5-0 run to make the score 80-80 and forcing an Ohio State timeout with 56 seconds left in the contest and the Buckeyes fighting for the season’s survival.
Royal got an and-one to give Ohio State a three-point lead, and Parrish recorded a steal on the other end to get to the free-throw line. Parrish made one of two. Wesley Yates was fouled by Evan Mahaffey on the other end, sending him to the line for two free throws. Yates made both, and Ohio State led 84-82 with 20 seconds left in the game.
Ohio State led 85-82, and Yates missed a three-pointer with seven seconds left. Mobley made two free throws, and Ohio State won 87-82.
Up Next:
Ohio State gets five days off before welcoming the Nebraska Cornhuskers to Columbus for the second meeting between the two teams. The Cornhuskers beat Ohio State 79-71 on February 9 in Lincoln. The Buckeyes likely need to win that game and their final game at Indiana to feel good about their place in the NCAA Tournament.
The Buckeyes’ game against Nebraska will tip off at 9:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Peacock.