Field Level Media
Feb 13, 2021
E.J. Liddell scored 19 points to lead the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes to a 78-59 victory over visiting Indiana in a Big Ten game on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
Justice Sueing had 16 points, Duane Washington Jr. scored 12 and CJ Walker added 10 for the Buckeyes (17-4, 11-4 Big Ten), who have won six straight and nine of 10.
Trayce Jackson-Davis led the Hoosiers (11-9, 6-7) with 23 points, while Jerome Hunter came off the bench to add 10 points.
Ohio State was up 16 late in the first half and 10 at the break. But the Hoosiers, who were down 14 points in the opening half in their last game against Northwestern on Thursday before winning in double overtime, looked for a repeat performance.
They trailed 45-40 with 14 minutes to play, but the Buckeyes responded with a pair of surges to put the game away. First was a 9-0 run for a 54-40 lead, then 10 straight points to extend the advantage to 67-44 with less than eight minutes remaining.
The Buckeyes led 38-28 at the end of an up-and-down first half.
Indiana started well with a 6-2 lead but then collapsed. The Buckeyes went on a 19-0 run over the next seven minutes to build a 21-6 lead, with Liddell scoring eight points.
The Hoosiers finally stopped the streak when Jackson-Davis made one of two free throws. Ohio State got its biggest lead of the half, 31-15, on a jumper by Kyle Young with 5:21 left, but it was the Buckeyes' turn to go cold after that.
Indiana reeled off 11 unanswered points over the next two minutes and pulled to within 31-26 on a dunk by Jackson-Davis. Washington stopped the rally with a 3 pointer on Ohio State's next possession.
Liddell finished the half with a steal and a basket to give the Buckeyes a double-digit lead at halftime.
For the game, Indiana had 15 turnovers that Ohio State converted into 21 points.
--Field Level Media