Recap: Ohio State Takes 82-74 Overtime Win Over Minnesota

Ohio State (13-5, 5-3 Big Ten) gave up two double-digit leads in the game but was able to hold on to a 82-74 overtime win over Minnesota (10-9, 3-5) at the Schottenstein Center on Jan. 20.

The Buckeyes took 10-point leads early in both halves but gave up those leads quickly due to multiple long scoring droughts. Minnesota shot 223 free throws compared to Ohio State’s 14 and made 19 of them (82.6 percent) while the Buckeyes struggled from the line, making just nine (64.3 percent).

Ohio State started the game strong on the defensive side of the ball, forcing Minnesota to miss its first six shots while the Buckeyes took a 10-0 lead. After a Golden Gopher timeout, Minnesota missed two more shots but got both offensive rebounds and scored its first two points at the line nearly five minutes in.

The Buckeyes went on a scoring drought of their own that lasted 2:23, and after scoring their first six points on free throws, the Gophers made their first field goal of the game at 13:25 to make it 12-9.

Two more foul shots and a three put Minnesota up 14-12 and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson made it a four-point deficit with a layup before sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. drained a three-pointer.

Mobley took the lead again for the Buckeyes with a layup, but Minnesota snatched it right back at 9:48 with a layup. OSU was able to go up by four points on a layup from sophomore guard Gabe Cupps, but the Gophers tied it back up at 24 with 6:14 left in the half.

Scoring went back and forth for a couple of minutes before both teams hit a cold stretch, with OSU keeping a 29-28 lead until senior guard Bruce Thornton made a layup with 15 seconds left. The Buckeyes went into the locker room with a 31-28 lead.

Ohio State stretched its lead back to 10 early in the second half with a converted three-point play by senior center Christoph Tilly capping the run. Thornton made it an 11-point lead with a layup just over three minutes in, but Minnesota brought it back within four points soon with a couple of three-pointers for a 43-39 score while the Buckeyes had a long scoring drought.

Langston Reynolds made it a two-point game with a layup, and Cade Tyson tied it at 43 with two free throws.

Mobley scored Ohio State’s first points in 5:09 with a three-pointer to go back up by three, 46-43. But two free throws, a fast-break layup and a three-pointer later, Minnesota tied its biggest lead of the game with 8:04 left, 50-46.

Mobley tied the game back up at 51 for the Buckeyes and after a Gopher layup, Thornton tied it back up and junior forward Devin Royal took the lead back with a layup of his own with 4:16 left.

The two teams traded the lead back-and-forth for the next few minutes before Mobley drained a three-pointer with 1:34 left. But with an opportunity to keep the lead, Tilly fouled Tyson, who made the layup through the foul and took a 65-64 lead with the free throw.

Thornton followed with a three-point play, but Minnesota made a layup to tie it up, and the game went to overtime tied at 67.

Royal scored OSU’s first five points in overtime and took a 72-69 lead. The Gophers had a tip in, but Thornton scored to go back up by three. Sophomore forward Colin White followed that with a steal and a fast-break layup for a five-point lead with 1:49 to go in overtime.

Crocker-Johnson answered with a layup, but a Thornton jumper made it a five-point deficit again. After Minnesota made a free throw, Thornton made two of his own to lead 80-74. OSU was able to put the game away from there.

Ohio State was led by Mobley for the second straight game. He had 26 points on 9-of-19 shooting while Thornton (23 points), Royal (16) and Tilly (11) also reached double figures. Sophomore center Ivan Njegovan had a game-high nine rebounds. Crocker-Johnson led the Gophers with 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting with eight rebounds.