The Ohio State Buckeyes (11-5, 3-3) ended its West Coast road trip 1-1 with an 81-74 loss to the Washington Huskies (10-6, 2-3) on Sunday night. The Buckeyes were coming off a 72-62 win at Oregon, while
Washington was coming off an 81-73 loss at Purdue.
Washington freshman center Hannes Steinbach came into the contest as one of the best players in the conference, averaging 18.2 points per game and 11.2 rebounds per game on 59.5% shooting from the field. However, they were without second leading scorer Wesley Yates, who has missed the last four games with a wrist injury.
Unlike the Oregon game, both teams started off scoring early, with Ohio State getting out to a quick 11-6 lead behind five Amare Bynum points. After a three-pointer from Ohio State’s leading scorer and captain, Bruce Thornton, the Buckeyes led 14-8.
Both teams continued to score at a high level, with Ohio State taking a 23-17 lead at the under-8 media timeout.
The Buckeyes went to a zone on defense, and Washington was able to knock down a couple of three-pointers, forcing the Buckeyes back into their man defense.
Both teams traded baskets throughout the last four minutes, and at the end of the first half, Ohio State led 38-36. Hannes Steinbach led Washington with 14 points and six rebounds, and Amare Bynum led the Buckeyes with 23 points on 4-for-8 shooting. Bruce Thornton added nine points and two rebounds.
Ohio State outrebounded Washington 21-10 in the opening half, with Devin Royal snagging six rebounds.
The Buckeyes came into the game 7-0 when leading at the half.
In the second half, Ohio State struck first with a dunk from Bynum and a three-pointer from Thornton. Zoom Diallo answered with a bucket for Washington.
After the Buckeyes went up 45-38, the Huskies went on a quick 12-0 run to take a 50-45 lead and force an Ohio State timeout.
After two Bruce Thornton free throws, Washington led 55-50 at the under-12 media timeout. Ohio State starting center Christoph Tilly also left the game with an injury and would not return.
Backup guard Taison Chatman entered the game for the first time of the game and found Devin Royal for a dunk to cut the Washington lead back to five points with 9:15 left in the game.
Both teams continued to trade buckets back and forth, and a Bruce Thornton layup made the score 71-65 with Washington leading at the under-4 media timeout.
Devin Royal hit a three-pointer with 46 seconds left to cut the Washington lead to 77-72, but the Buckeyes could never go on a run in the final four minutes and ended up losing to Washington 81-74 for the Buckeyes’ first road conference loss.
Here are some moments that mattered in the Ohio State win/loss:
No slow start for Ohio State
The Buckeyes have been known for some slow starts and first-half deficits that they have had to climb out of, but in this game, they went up 8-6 with 16:58 remaining in the first half and never gave back up the lead until after halftime.
Ohio State goes two bigs early
A lineup that we thought we might see more of than we have not yet is centers Christoph Tilly and Ivan Njegovan on the floor together, but we saw it early in this game to help try and mitigate the effectiveness of Washington’s size.
Freshman Amare Bynum starts hot
All the eyes coming into this game were on the freshman Steinbach, but true freshman Amare Bynum has been great for Ohio State, averaging 9.0 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. He started off strong in this one, with eight points on 3-for-3 shooting in the first six minutes.
Ohio State rebounds well in the first half
Washington has a big frontcourt and is the fourth-best rebounding team in the conference. However, with the help of six rebounds by Devin Royal, Ohio State outrebounded Washington 21-10 in the first half. They did a great job of taking away second-chance points for Washington.
A halftime lead for Ohio State
The Buckeyes held onto the lead for the majority of the first half and led 38-36 entering halftime. Ohio State entered the contest 7-0 when leading at the half and is 28-6 under Jake Diebler all-time.
A big second-half run from Washington
Ohio State started the second half strong with a quick 5-0 run, and they went up 45-38, but the Huskies answered and went on a quick 12-0 run to take a 50-45 lead and force an Ohio State timeout. At the under-12 media timeout, Washington led 55-50.
Christoph Tilly leaves the game
With 15:47 left in the second half, Ohio State starting center Christoph Tilly left the game and would not return. He played 15 minutes and recorded eight points and four rebounds.
Washington’s defense closes it out
The Buckeyes never were able to answer the 12-0 run Washington went on earlier, and the Huskies held on late to secure the home win.
