Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch
Bruce Thornton propelled Ohio State to a much-needed 89-82 victory over USC, keeping its NCAA Tournament hopes alive and building momentum for March.
Following a deflating home loss at the hands of Michigan this past Sunday, Ohio State finds itself on the doorstep of opportunity against a surging USC team, followed by a gauntlet of a schedule to end the year, making this matchup against the Trojans that much more important.
Jake Diebler was proud of his team’s response against the Trojans. He said, “[This] win feels very crucial, and results are critical right now. Most importantly, our guys responded with physicality and used each other to fix things in big moments.”
USC opened up scoring with an alley-oop flushed down by the 7′ 5″ Junior, Gabe Dynes. Soon after, Devin Royal opened up scoring for the Buckeyes with a jumper at the 18:00 mark. OSU continued their trend of starting slow, as they would start the game 0-6 from three and fell behind 13-4 about five minutes into the contest.
Taison Chatman would eventually nail the first three of the game for OSU at the 12:55 mark to cut USC’s lead to six. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, this would only be one of two threes they hit the entire game as they finished 2-13 from beyond the arc heading into the locker room. Bruce Thornton put his Superman cape on once again, though.
Thornton brought the Buckeyes within 4 on the following possession after a pair of FT’s, followed again by a jumper to cut USC’s lead to 15-13 at the 11:35 mark, forcing a Trojan timeout. Out of the timeout, Chatman drilled a jumper, and OSU tied it up 15-15 at the 11:26 mark, and we had a brand new ballgame.
After some back-and-forth, Thornton gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the game (19-17) at the 9:38 mark. After a very slow start, John Mobley Jr. finally gets one to fall with a converted and-one jumper at the 7:26 mark to tie things up at 24 apiece. Another welcome sight would be Puff Johnson back on court for the first time since January 31st against Wisconsin, who quickly got on board with a pair of FT’s at the 5:52 mark. The leading scorer (8 Pts) and rebounder (4 Reb) at half would be Devin Royal as USC would hold a slim 43-40 lead heading into half.
In the second half, Christoph Tilly opened things by sinking a three-pointer, and was followed by a block on the other end, setting the tone for the Buckeyes. Overall play and shot-making continued to improve dramatically for Ohio State. OSU finished the half perfect from the line (14-14), 55.6% from three, and 18 points in the paint. Amare Bynum threw it down with authority twice on successive possessions to give OSU a 58-54 lead at the 12:11 mark, forcing a USC timeout.
Bynum would also have an emphatic two-hand slam at the 4:00 mark to give OSU a 78-69 lead and set the Schott on fire. Devin Royal’s stellar game continued after getting fouled on an alley-oop and converting an and-1 to put Ohio State up 67-60 at the 8:13 mark- their largest lead at that point. Royal would finish with 19 points and 6 rebounds.
However, USC stormed back late, making it 80-78 OSU with just 1:48 to go. After a USC reach-in foul on Thornton and a pair of made free throws, OSU took an 82-78 lead. However, USC’s Alijah Arenas, who finished with 25 points, would nail a three on their following possession to make it a one-point game. Luckily for the Buckeyes, Bruce Thornton was money from the line down the stretch and finished with a team-leading 21 points and moved to No. 5 on the all-time scoring list.
The final four minutes of the game were a roller coaster as the Buckeyes and Trojans battled back and forth. Jake Diebler spoke about what he learned from his team during his postgame availability. “[I] saw great poise and the dialogue between the players was very high level in the huddle.”
Bruce Thornton had this to say about becoming No. 5 on the school’s all-time scoring list: “It means a lot to me. It’s a blessing, especially with all the former players that played at Ohio State.”
Ohio State comes away victorious, 89-82, in front of an impressive mid-week crowd that included OSU football star Jeremiah Smith himself.
WATCH Jake Diebler’s full post-game thoughts here:
Grant Kincaid was born in Columbus, Ohio, and raised in Dayton. He serves as Creative Director and basketball contributor at The Silver Bulletin. At one point, Grant, a collegiate baseball player, also holds a B.A. in Management and Leadership Studies. Aside from the Buckeyes, he is an avid supporter of both the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals. His favorite Buckeyes include Braxton Miller, AJ Hawk, and Ted Ginn Jr.