Recap: Ohio State Pulls Away In Second Half For 86-74 Win Over UCLA

Ohio State (12-5, 4-3 Big Ten) earned its biggest win of the season on Jan. 17, topping Big Ten foe UCLA (12-6, 4-3), 86-74, behind strong performances on both sides of the ball at Value City Arena.

The Buckeyes finished the game shooting 53.8 percent from the field (28 of 53) while the Bruins shot 40.3 percent (25 of 62). Ohio State had three 20-point scorers in the win, with sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. (28), junior forward Devin Royal (22) and senior guard Bruce Thornton (21) each surpassing the mark.

Ohio State started the game off strong, going up 7-2 on a three-pointer from Mobley. The Bruins were able to make it 9-7 at 16:02 with a three of their own, and after a jumper from Thornton, the game remained scoreless for over two minutes.

That streak was ended by a mid-range jumper from UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau and Thornton ended the Buckeyes’ drought with a jumper for a 13-9 lead with 12:40 left in the half. That was the start of a 7-0 run for OSU that included five points from Royal.

Both tams traded baskets for the next few possessions, and Royal made a jumper, a layup and a free throw to make it 10 points for him over the span of 2:20.

The Bruins remained hot and were able to cut the Buckeye lead to 26-25 with just over six minutes to go in the half. That became a five-point lead for OSU after a three from Mobley at 4:35.

UCLA brought it within one point, but the Buckeyes were able to pull away again to make it 42-36 at the half thanks to a last-second three from Mobley.

It quickly became a 12-point lead for Ohio State in the second half on three-pointers from Mobley and Royal. Senior center Christoph Tilly made it 14 points when Mobley found him cutting through the middle of the paint for a layup. Two Royal free throws made it a 52-36 game and two more from Thornton put OSU up by 18 at 16:35. UCLA scored its first points of the second half on a jumper 3:44 into the half.

The Bruins got within 11 before Royal hit a three-pointer at 14:01 and Thornton converted a three-point play to make it 60-43. Ohio State was able to hold on to that lead for the next few minutes with the help of a three from Mobley and some free throws.

A dunk from freshman forward Amare Bynum on a fast break gave the Buckeyes an 18-point lead with 8:20 left. The Bruins cut the deficit to as little as 12 points, 77-65, with just under four minutes to go in the game, scoring on seven straight possessions.

They inched closer with 2:33 left in the game, making the score 80-70 on two free throws, but the Buckeyes remained largely in control and held on for the 12-point win.

Royal had a game-high nine rebounds to go along with his 22 points while Thornton added seven. UCLA was led by Bilodeau, who had 28 points while shooting 9 of 19 from the field, which included going 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.