Ohio State Blown Out By Indiana 86-70 For Seventh Loss In Last Eight Games

By January 28, 2023 (10:12 pm)Basketball, Men's Basketball

Indiana guard Jalen Hood-Schifino dropped a game-high 24 points, sparked by a 6-of-9 mark from three-point range, while helping the Hoosiers hand Ohio State an 86-70 loss, its seventh in the last eight games, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday.

Indiana (15-6, 6-4 Big Ten) utilized a 17-1 run to close the first half and run away from the Buckeyes, as Ohio State (11-10, 3-7) could never truly recover from the stretch. The Buckeyes shot 44.1 percent from the field while freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh led Ohio State with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting.

Ohio State opened the game with a 9-2 run, sparked by five points from Sensabaugh during the stretch. But the Hoosiers quickly responded with an 11-0 run of their own, carried by a trio of three-pointers from Hood-Schifino, to jump into the lead 13-9 with 13:56 to play in the first half.

The Buckeyes outscored the Hoosiers 12-5 across the ensuing 4:39 to pull back in front 21-18 with 9:17 remaining in the frame, but it was the last time Ohio State would hold the lead for the rest of the night. Indiana surged on a 9-0 run, again sparked by a three-pointer from Hood-Schifino, to regain the lead, 27-21, with 7:38 left in the half.

Later in the frame, Buckeyes guard Sean McNeil strung together a pair of three-point plays on back-to-back possessions to knot the game at 29 with 5:37 remaining in the first half, but it was all Hoosiers from there. Indiana closed the half on a 17-1 run, while the Buckeyes missed their final seven field goal attempts of the frame, to take a 46-30 lead into the locker room.

The first half was defined by the battle between two freshmen scorers in Hood-Schifino and Sensabaugh. Hood-Schifino led all scorers with 20 first-half points, led by a 6-for-7 mark from beyond the arc in the opening period. Sensabaugh did all he could for Ohio State, dropping 12 points in the frame while connecting on 4 of his 8 field goal attempts.

Indiana star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis opened the second half with a powerful one-handed dunk, lifting the Hoosiers’ lead to 18, but Ohio State countered with a 7-0 run to pull back within 11, 48-37, with 18:07 remaining in the contest. It didn’t take long for Indiana to rebuild its lead, however, jumping back in front 60-43 with 13:30 to play.

The Hoosiers extended their lead to as much as 19 points in the second half, while the Buckeyes shot 53.3 percent in the frame, but couldn’t get the necessary stops for a meaningful comeback attempt.

Jackson-Davis held the Buckeyes at arm’s length during the final stretch, dropping 10 of his 18 points in the second half, while the Hoosiers coasted to the 86-70 win — their fifth straight. Jackson-Davis tallied his third-consecutive double-double, producing 10 rebounds. He also added a team-high six assists in the win.

Sensabaugh tried to match Jackson-Davis’ impact, scoring 11 second-half points of his own, but he couldn’t pull the Buckeyes back into contention. Forward Zed Key was Ohio State’s only other player in double figures against the Hoosiers, dropping 12 points while adding four rebounds.

Ohio State returns to the comforts of Value City Arena on Thursday, after back-to-back road games, hosting Wisconsin for a 7 p.m. clash on FS1.

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