Recap: Ohio State Wastes Quick Start, Falls To Wisconsin 92-82

Ohio State (14-7, 6-5 Big Ten) had a cold shooting day on the way to a 92-82 loss to Wisconsin (16-6, 8-3) at Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. on Jan. 31.

The Buckeyes began fast and went up by double digits early, but squandered that cushion soon after and were unable to come back in the second half in the loss to the Badgers.

Both offenses started the game slow with a 2-2 score nearly three minutes in. The Buckeyes were one for their first seven while Wisconsin made just one of its first six shots before sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. made it 4-2 on a layup. He followed that just over a minute later with his first three-pointer of the game.

Mobley was removed from the game right after with an early two fouls, but Ohio State continued its run and took a 15-4 lead at 14:15 thanks to a three-pointer from sophomore guard Taison Chatman, who was in the game in Mobley’s place.

The Buckeyes stayed hot from beyond the arc with senior guard Bruce Thornton and senior forward Puff Johnson each making a three-pointer of their own, but Wisconsin clawed back and made it a 21-18 game with 10:33 left in the half.

The Badgers took their first lead of the game on another three from Austin Rapp, 24-23. Over four minutes later, a turnaround jumper from Nick Boyd made it a four-point Badger lead.

With 1:27 left in the half, John Blackwell made a layup to take a 47-39 lead and the Buckeyes went into the locker room down 49-43 after buzzer-beating layup from freshman forward Amare Bynum.

It quickly became a 10-point deficit 1:26 into the second half and remained around there into a media timeout at 14:43 after Boyd made another three-pointer to make it a 60-49 game.

After a free throw from junior forward Devin Royal and a layup from Bynum, neither team scored for nearly three minutes until two Wisconsin free throws ended that streak.

The Buckeyes struggled to bring the game closer and Blackwell converted a three-point play at 10:38 to go up 65-54. Multiple times, Ohio State brought the game within single digits, but the Badgers would respond soon after and stretch the lead back out.

The Badgers took their biggest lead of the game with 5:22 left when Braeden Carrington made a three-pointer to make it 76-64, but Chatman answered with a deep ball of his own.

The Buckeyes were unable to get a stop for over three minutes and allowed the Badgers to score on eight straight possessions with the clock winding down.

Bynum led Ohio State with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting with a team-high seven rebounds. Thornton and Royal were close behind with 17 points each, while Chatman had a career high 14 before fouling out.

Boyd led Wisconsin with 21 points and Blackwell scored 20 of his own, while Rapp finished with 19 points, helped by his 5 of 7 mark from beyond the arc.