OHIOST

PSU

No. 4 Ohio State tops Penn State 92-82 for 7th straight win

AP
Feb 18, 2021

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) Ohio State Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann let out a sigh, leaned forward toward his computer and rested his chin in his right hand.

His cheeks were a bit flushed as his Zoom background flickered behind him after No. 4 Ohio State outlasted Penn State Nittany Lions 92-82 in a back-and-forth game on Thursday.

''Do I look like I just survived?'' Holtmann said. ''That's exactly how I think we all feel. That was a tough one, as we expected it to be.''

Holtmann's teams had dropped its last two games on Penn State's court and weren't about to overlook an inconsistent Nittany Lion squad, even with a matchup against archrival No. 3 Michigan looming.

E.J. Liddell scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half and the Buckeyes overcame an eight-point deficit in the second half after leading for nearly all the first.

Duane Washington scored 21 points and C.J. Walker added 13 for the Buckeyes (18-4, 12-4 Big Ten), who used a 15-0 run midway through the second half to take control and win their seventh straight.

Myreon Jones led Penn State with 18 points. Izaiah Brockington and Seth Lundy each scored 12 points and Jamari Wheeler added 11 for the Nittany Lions (7-11, 4-10), who lost their third straight.

''I did not think our guys were looking beyond anything other than this game,'' Holtmann said. ''I thought they were locked in on this game. I thought their preparation was very good. I thought they brought the appropriate amount of focus, knowing how good this Penn State team is.''

Good enough to have the Buckeyes' numbers as of late.

The Nittany Lions nearly upset Ohio State in Columbus earlier this season. They hammered Holtmann's squad by 23 in 2018 and won by 14 last season. Ironically, Penn State had also beaten the team ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25 on its home court in three consecutive tries.

The Buckeyes led 47-43 at halftime after shooting 65% from the floor in the first half. They made nine straight baskets at one point, and six Buckeyes made shots in the opening 10 minutes.

But they were forced to play a smaller lineup for the early moments of the second half and fell behind after Lundy got hot. The Penn State forward made three 3-pointers in a 2:14 span to put the Nittany Lions up 59-51 with 14:53 to play.

Washington picked up the pace as Liddell was sitting courtside in foul trouble. The Buckeyes' guard scored seven points in 1:24 and drained a 3-pointer to give Ohio State a 72-64 lead with 8:58 left.

''That's a Final Four-caliber team,'' Penn State interim coach Jim Ferry said. ''I thought we came out and played really hard, we played really fast, we were the aggressor. Especially in the second half.''

Penn State cut the deficit to four with 5:10 remaining, but couldn't get any closer as the Buckeyes made nine of their final 11 free throws to close out the game.

BANGED UP

Both teams appeared to avoid serious injuries. Wheeler collided with Walker late in the first half and was helped off the court favoring his right leg. He returned in the second half.

Meanwhile, Holtmann said his team needed ''a good day in the training room'' soon. Forward Seth Towns rolled his left ankle but was able to return. Additionally, Walker has been playing with three fingers taped together on his right hand.

NO UPSET THIS TIME

Penn State's last three home wins over No. 4 teams came against Michigan, Iowa and Maryland in 2013, 2016 and last season.

THE BIG PICTURE

Ohio State: The Buckeyes had already equaled their 11 conference wins from a year ago. Three out of their next five games will come against ranked opponents, and the Buckeyes get all of them at home, where they're 10-1 this season.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions played arguably their best first half of the season. They hadn't scored more than 61 points in any of their last four, but shot 53% from 3-point range in the first half and had the Buckeyes on their heels plenty.

UP NEXT

Ohio State: Hosts No. 3 Michigan on Sunday.

Penn State: Visits No. 11 Iowa on Sunday.

---

For more AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP-Top25

1st Half
OHST
Buckeyes
47
PSU
Nittany Lions
43

Time		Play	Score
20:00		E.J. Liddell vs. John Harrar (Myles Dread gains possession)
19:41		Myreon Jones misses two point jump shot
19:39		E.J. Liddell defensive rebound
19:18		Kyle Young misses two point hook shot
19:16		Jamari Wheeler defensive rebound
19:08	+2	Izaiah Brockington makes two point jump shot (Myreon Jones assists)	0-2
18:50	+3	Duane Washington Jr. makes three point jump shot (Justin Ahrens assists)	3-2
18:35		Izaiah Brockington misses two point jump shot
18:33		Justin Ahrens defensive rebound
18:23	+3	Justin Ahrens makes three point jump shot (E.J. Liddell assists)	6-2
17:56		E.J. Liddell blocks John Harrar's two point dunk
17:54		Justice Sueing defensive rebound
17:44		Izaiah Brockington blocks Kyle Young's two point layup
17:42		Kyle Young offensive rebound
17:35	+3	E.J. Liddell makes three point jump shot (Kyle Young assists)	9-2
17:22	+3	Myles Dread makes three point jump shot (Izaiah Brockington assists)	9-5
16:59		Myles Dread shooting foul (E.J. Liddell draws the foul)
16:59	+1	E.J. Liddell makes regular free throw 1 of 2	10-5
16:59	+1	E.J. Liddell makes regular free throw 2 of 2	11-5
16:44		Myreon Jones turnover (bad pass) (Kyle Young steals)
16:17		Justice Sueing misses three point jump shot
16:15		Jamari Wheeler defensive rebound
16:06	+2	John Harrar makes two point layup	11-7
15:45		Kyle Young misses two point hook shot
15:43		John Harrar defensive rebound
15:33	+2	John Harrar makes two point layup (Izaiah Brockington assists)	11-9
15:14		John Harrar personal foul (E.J. Liddell draws the foul)
15:14		TV timeout
15:02		Justin Ahrens turnover (bad pass) (Trent Buttrick steals)
14:54		Trent Buttrick misses three point jump shot
14:52		Justice Sueing defensive rebound
14:36	+2	E.J. Liddell makes two point layup (Kyle Young assists)	13-9
14:06		Trent Buttrick turnover (double dribble)
13:44	+3	Justin Ahrens makes three point jump shot (CJ Walker assists)	16-9
13:32	+2	Sam Sessoms makes two point layup	16-11
13:32		CJ Walker shooting foul (Sam Sessoms draws the foul)
13:32	+1	Sam Sessoms makes regular free throw 1 of 1	16-12
13:14	+2	Justice Sueing makes two point layup	18-12
12:55		Sam Sessoms turnover (lost ball) (Musa Jallow steals)
12:41	+2	Musa Jallow makes two point dunk (E.J. Liddell assists)	20-12
12:42		Nittany Lions 30 second timeout
12:34		Seth Lundy turnover (out of bounds)
12:21	+2	CJ Walker makes two point jump shot	22-12
11:59	+2	John Harrar makes two point layup	22-14
11:40		Zed Key offensive foul (John Harrar draws the foul)
11:40		Zed Key turnover
11:40		TV timeout
11:26	+3	Myreon Jones makes three point jump shot (John Harrar assists)	22-17
11:03		Musa Jallow turnover (lost ball) (Myreon Jones steals)
10:53		Zed Key personal foul
10:51		Myreon Jones misses two point jump shot
10:49		E.J. Liddell defensive rebound
10:33	+3	Duane Washington Jr. makes three point jump shot (CJ Walker assists)	25-17
10:02	+2	Izaiah Brockington makes two point jump shot (John Harrar assists)	25-19
9:36	+2	Kyle Young makes two point layup (Duane Washington Jr. assists)	27-19
9:06	+3	Jamari Wheeler makes three point jump shot (Izaiah Brockington assists)	27-22
8:41	+2	E.J. Liddell makes two point jump shot (CJ Walker assists)	29-22
8:19		Myreon Jones turnover (traveling)
7:53	+2	E.J. Liddell makes two point jump shot	31-22
7:36	+3	Seth Lundy makes three point jump shot	31-25
7:15		E.J. Liddell misses two point layup
7:13		Trent Buttrick defensive rebound
7:07		Myreon Jones misses three point jump shot
7:05		Justice Sueing defensive rebound
6:54		E.J. Liddell turnover (lost ball) (Myreon Jones steals)
6:48		TV timeout
6:34		Sam Sessoms misses three point jump shot
6:32		Trent Buttrick offensive rebound
6:17	+3	Jamari Wheeler makes three point jump shot (Sam Sessoms assists)	31-28
5:52		Seth Lundy blocks E.J. Liddell's two point layup
5:50		Jamari Wheeler defensive rebound
5:44	+3	Jamari Wheeler makes three point jump shot (Izaiah Brockington assists)	31-31
5:42		Buckeyes 30 second timeout
5:31		Duane Washington Jr. misses three point jump shot
5:29		Sam Sessoms defensive rebound
5:24		Seth Lundy turnover (out of bounds)
5:05		Justin Ahrens misses three point jump shot
5:03		E.J. Liddell offensive rebound
5:02		Seth Lundy shooting foul (E.J. Liddell draws the foul)
5:02		E.J. Liddell misses regular free throw 1 of 2
5:02	+1	E.J. Liddell makes regular free throw 2 of 2	32-31
4:54		Izaiah Brockington misses two point layup
4:52		Kyle Young defensive rebound
4:48		Sam Sessoms shooting foul (Musa Jallow draws the foul)
4:48		Musa Jallow misses regular free throw 1 of 2
4:48	+1	Musa Jallow makes regular free throw 2 of 2	33-31
4:20		John Harrar misses two point layup
4:18		John Harrar offensive rebound
4:19		E.J. Liddell shooting foul (John Harrar draws the foul)
4:19		John Harrar misses regular free throw 1 of 2
4:19	+1	John Harrar makes regular free throw 2 of 2	33-32
4:02	+2	Kyle Young makes two point layup (Musa Jallow assists)	35-32
3:49		Myles Dread misses three point jump shot
3:47		Justin Ahrens defensive rebound
3:40		Duane Washington Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Myles Dread steals)
3:30	+2	Jamari Wheeler makes two point layup	35-34
3:30		TV timeout
3:14	+2	E.J. Liddell makes two point layup (CJ Walker assists)	37-34
2:43		Izaiah Brockington misses three point jump shot
2:41		Jamari Wheeler offensive rebound
2:33		Musa Jallow personal foul (Izaiah Brockington draws the foul)
2:15	+3	Myreon Jones makes three point jump shot (Jamari Wheeler assists)	37-37
1:46	+2	Musa Jallow makes two point jump shot (Kyle Young assists)	39-37
1:32		Jamari Wheeler misses two point layup
1:30		John Harrar offensive rebound
1:26	+2	John Harrar makes two point layup	39-39
1:11		CJ Walker misses two point jump shot
1:10		Zed Key offensive rebound
1:10		John Harrar personal foul (Zed Key draws the foul)
1:06	+2	E.J. Liddell makes two point layup (Justin Ahrens assists)	41-39
1:06		Izaiah Brockington shooting foul (E.J. Liddell draws the foul)
1:06	+1	E.J. Liddell makes regular free throw 1 of 1	42-39
0:49		Meechie Johnson Jr. shooting foul (Myreon Jones draws the foul)
0:49	+1	Myreon Jones makes regular free throw 1 of 2	42-40
0:49	+1	Myreon Jones makes regular free throw 2 of 2	42-41
0:41		Jamari Wheeler personal foul (CJ Walker draws the foul)
0:41	+1	CJ Walker makes regular free throw 1 of 2	43-41
0:41	+1	CJ Walker makes regular free throw 2 of 2	44-41
0:14		Myreon Jones misses three point jump shot
0:12		Seth Lundy offensive rebound
0:09		Musa Jallow shooting foul (Sam Sessoms draws the foul)
0:09	+1	Sam Sessoms makes regular free throw 1 of 2	44-42
0:09	+1	Sam Sessoms makes regular free throw 2 of 2	44-43
0:01	+3	Justin Ahrens makes three point jump shot (Seth Towns assists)	47-43
0:00		End of period

2nd Half
OHST
Buckeyes
45
PSU
Nittany Lions
39

Time		Play	Score
19:43		Duane Washington Jr. misses two point jump shot
19:41		John Harrar defensive rebound
19:29	+2	Myreon Jones makes two point reverse layup (Jamari Wheeler assists)	47-45
19:10		E.J. Liddell misses two point jump shot
19:08		John Harrar defensive rebound
18:59		John Harrar misses two point turnaround jump shot
18:57		Justin Ahrens defensive rebound
18:44		Justin Ahrens misses three point jump shot
18:42		Izaiah Brockington defensive rebound
18:42		E.J. Liddell personal foul (Izaiah Brockington draws the foul)
18:28		Myles Dread misses three point jump shot
18:26		Justice Sueing defensive rebound
18:11		Duane Washington Jr. misses two point jump shot
18:09		Myles Dread defensive rebound
18:03	+2	Izaiah Brockington makes two point alley-oop dunk (Jamari Wheeler assists)	47-47
17:37	+2	E.J. Liddell makes two point layup	49-47
17:21		Jamari Wheeler misses three point jump shot
17:20		Nittany Lions offensive rebound
17:20		E.J. Liddell personal foul (John Harrar draws the foul)
17:17		Izaiah Brockington misses two point jump shot
17:15		Izaiah Brockington offensive rebound
17:11	+3	Seth Lundy makes three point jump shot (Izaiah Brockington assists)	49-50
16:44		Zed Key misses two point hook shot
16:42		Nittany Lions defensive rebound
16:30		Seth Lundy misses three point jump shot
16:28		Zed Key defensive rebound
16:27		Seth Lundy personal foul (Zed Key draws the foul)
16:14		Zed Key turnover (3-second violation)
16:01	+2	Trent Buttrick makes two point layup (Izaiah Brockington assists)	49-52
16:01		Zed Key shooting foul (Trent Buttrick draws the foul)
16:01	+1	Trent Buttrick makes regular free throw 1 of 1	49-53
15:35	+2	Musa Jallow makes two point layup (Kyle Young assists)	51-53
15:28	+3	Seth Lundy makes three point jump shot (Trent Buttrick assists)	51-56
15:11		Justin Ahrens misses three point jump shot
15:09		Seth Lundy defensive rebound
15:09		Kyle Young personal foul (Seth Lundy draws the foul)
15:09		TV timeout
14:50	+3	Seth Lundy makes three point jump shot	51-59
14:20	+3	CJ Walker makes three point jump shot	54-59
14:04	+2	Sam Sessoms makes two point driving layup	54-61
13:48		CJ Walker misses three point jump shot
13:46		Musa Jallow offensive rebound
13:42		Seth Towns misses three point jump shot
13:40		Jamari Wheeler defensive rebound
13:30		Seth Towns blocks Trent Buttrick's three point jump shot
13:28		Duane Washington Jr. defensive rebound
13:24		Trent Buttrick shooting foul (CJ Walker draws the foul)
13:24	+1	CJ Walker makes regular free throw 1 of 2	55-61
13:24	+1	CJ Walker makes regular free throw 2 of 2	56-61
13:11		Izaiah Brockington misses two point jump shot
13:09		Seth Towns defensive rebound
12:57		Musa Jallow misses two point layup
12:55		Seth Towns offensive rebound
12:58		John Harrar personal foul (Seth Towns draws the foul)
12:52	+2	Duane Washington Jr. makes two point layup	58-61
12:52		Sam Sessoms shooting foul (Duane Washington Jr. draws the foul)
12:52	+1	Duane Washington Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 1	59-61
12:37		Sam Sessoms misses two point jump shot
12:35		CJ Walker defensive rebound
12:28	+2	CJ Walker makes two point driving layup	61-61
12:16		Musa Jallow personal foul (Sam Sessoms draws the foul)
12:11		Myreon Jones misses two point jump shot
12:09		Seth Towns defensive rebound
11:57		Duane Washington Jr. turnover (bad pass) (John Harrar steals)
11:48		Seth Lundy misses three point jump shot
11:46		CJ Walker defensive rebound
11:29	+3	Duane Washington Jr. makes three point jump shot (CJ Walker assists)	64-61
11:29		Sam Sessoms shooting foul (Duane Washington Jr. draws the foul)
11:29		TV timeout
11:29	+1	Duane Washington Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 1	65-61
11:04		John Harrar misses two point layup
11:02		Myreon Jones offensive rebound
11:01		CJ Walker personal foul (Myreon Jones draws the foul)
10:58		Seth Lundy offensive foul (CJ Walker draws the foul)
10:58		Seth Lundy turnover
10:44		CJ Walker misses two point jump shot
10:42		CJ Walker offensive rebound
10:41		Eugene Brown III misses two point jump shot
10:39		E.J. Liddell offensive rebound
10:39		John Harrar shooting foul (E.J. Liddell draws the foul)
10:39	+1	E.J. Liddell makes regular free throw 1 of 2	66-61
10:39		E.J. Liddell misses regular free throw 2 of 2
10:39		Jamari Wheeler defensive rebound
10:38		Seth Towns personal foul (Seth Lundy draws the foul)
10:38		Seth Lundy misses regular free throw 1 of 1
10:38		Eugene Brown III defensive rebound
10:14		E.J. Liddell misses two point jump shot
10:12		Jamari Wheeler defensive rebound
9:46	+3	Eugene Brown III makes three point jump shot (CJ Walker assists)	69-61
9:33		Eugene Brown III personal foul (Trent Buttrick draws the foul)
9:33	+1	Trent Buttrick makes regular free throw 1 of 2	69-62
7:31	+1	Myreon Jones makes regular free throw 1 of 2	74-67
7:31	+1	Myreon Jones makes regular free throw 2 of 2	74-68
7:18		E.J. Liddell offensive foul (Myles Dread draws the foul)
7:18		E.J. Liddell turnover
7:02	+2	Izaiah Brockington makes two point layup	74-70
6:37	+2	Kyle Young makes two point driving layup	76-70
6:11		Myles Dread misses two point jump shot
6:09		Musa Jallow defensive rebound
5:39		Buckeyes turnover (shot clock violation)
5:15		Kyle Young blocks Jamari Wheeler's two point layup
5:13		Nittany Lions offensive rebound
5:10	+2	Izaiah Brockington makes two point layup (Jamari Wheeler assists)	76-72
5:08		TV timeout
4:48		Justin Ahrens misses three point step back jump shot
4:46		Myreon Jones defensive rebound
4:34		Myles Dread misses three point step back jump shot
4:32		Justin Ahrens defensive rebound
4:12		Trent Buttrick shooting foul (Kyle Young draws the foul)
4:12	+1	Kyle Young makes regular free throw 1 of 2	77-72
4:12	+1	Kyle Young makes regular free throw 2 of 2	78-72
3:44		Jamari Wheeler turnover (lost ball) (Kyle Young steals)
3:39	+2	Musa Jallow makes two point driving layup (Kyle Young assists)	80-72
3:23	+3	Myreon Jones makes three point jump shot (Izaiah Brockington assists)	80-75
2:53		Kyle Young misses three point jump shot
2:51		Justice Sueing offensive rebound
2:51		John Harrar personal foul (Justice Sueing draws the foul)
2:51		TV timeout
2:51	+1	Justice Sueing makes regular free throw 1 of 2	81-75
2:51	+1	Justice Sueing makes regular free throw 2 of 2	82-75
2:39		Kyle Young shooting foul (Myreon Jones draws the foul)
2:39		Myreon Jones misses regular free throw 1 of 2
1:58		Official timeout
2:39	+1	Myreon Jones makes regular free throw 2 of 2	82-76
2:10		Justice Sueing turnover (lost ball) (Trent Buttrick steals)
1:58		Trent Buttrick turnover (lost ball)
1:58		Official timeout
0:52	+1	Duane Washington Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 1	88-79
1:36	+3	E.J. Liddell makes three point jump shot (CJ Walker assists)	85-76
1:19	+3	Myles Dread makes three point step back jump shot	85-79
0:47		Myles Dread misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:52	+2	Duane Washington Jr. makes two point driving layup	87-79
0:52		Myles Dread shooting foul (Duane Washington Jr. draws the foul)
0:52	+1	Duane Washington Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 1	88-79
0:47		Duane Washington Jr. personal foul (Myles Dread draws the foul)
0:47	+1	Myles Dread makes regular free throw 1 of 2	88-80
0:47		Myles Dread misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:47		Justice Sueing defensive rebound
0:44		Izaiah Brockington personal foul (Justice Sueing draws the foul)
0:44	+1	Justice Sueing makes regular free throw 1 of 2	89-80
0:44		Justice Sueing misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:44		Seth Lundy defensive rebound
0:31		Seth Lundy misses three point jump shot
0:29		Sam Sessoms offensive rebound
0:24		Trent Buttrick turnover (out of bounds)
0:11		Justice Sueing misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:19		Jamari Wheeler personal foul (Duane Washington Jr. draws the foul)
0:19	+1	Duane Washington Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2	90-80
0:19	+1	Duane Washington Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2	91-80
0:14	+2	Sam Sessoms makes two point driving layup	91-82
0:00		Duane Washington Jr. defensive rebound
0:11		Sam Sessoms personal foul (Justice Sueing draws the foul)
0:11	+1	Justice Sueing makes regular free throw 1 of 2	92-82
0:11		Justice Sueing misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:11		Seth Lundy defensive rebound
0:05		Kyle Young blocks Seth Lundy's two point layup
0:03		Nittany Lions offensive rebound
0:02		Sam Sessoms misses three point jump shot
0:00		Duane Washington Jr. defensive rebound
0:00		End of period

Duane Washington Jr. defensive rebound