LaQuinton Ross scored 24 points and Lenzelle Smith Jr. had 13 for Ohio State, which had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 70-60 loss to No. 15 Michigan on Tuesday night.
Nik Stauskas scored 15 points and freshmen Derrick Walton III and Zak Irvin each had a big game as Michigan overcame an eight-point deficit early in the second half. “Every night is a war,” Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said. “What you see in this league now is a bad 3- or 4-minute stretch can cost you. That was evident tonight.”
The Buckeyes (19-6, 6-6 Big Ten) led by as many as 10 points in the first half, then scored only four points over the final 6:23 to take a 30-26 lead into the break. After Michigan (18-6, 10-2) pulled within a point, the Buckeyes built a quick eight-point lead but couldn’t hang on as the Wolverines went on a 12-0 run to take control.
Ohio State was seeking its fourth win in a row in an up-and-down season. The Buckeyes won their first 15 games to get to No. 3 in the nation. Then they lost four in a row and split the next two. Coming off two huge road wins, winning at No. 14 Wisconsin 59-58 on Feb. 1 and at No. 17 Iowa 76-69 on Feb. 4, they beat Purdue at home 67-49 on Saturday night.
Now, another step back.
“Every loss hurts. Obviously, you can’t get comfortable,” point guard Aaron Craft said. “We found a way to play tough on the road for a couple of games and then we came home and got one. Today we didn’t have it.”
Walton scored 13 points, added a career-high 10 rebounds and was just one behind his previous best in assists with six. Irvin came off the bench to score 10 points, hitting both of his 3-pointers and adding a solid defensive effort. The victory ended a nine-game skid over the last 11 years in Columbus for the Wolverines, who came into the game tied for the top spot in the conference with Michigan State.
“We love getting road wins. That’s one of the hardest things to do in this conference,” said senior forward Jordan Morgan, who had eight rebounds – six on the offensive glass – and contributed six points. “Any time you can get one of those it’s big. Obviously, this game means a lot to a lot of people. For us to come into this environment and get this win is big.”
The Buckeyes hadn’t lost to their archrivals on their home court since a 61-50 setback on Jan. 15, 2003.
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