Harding hits late 3 to help Iowa pull away and beat Ohio State 77-70 in a Big Ten Tournament opener
AP
Mar 12, 2025
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Brock Harding scored 15 points that included a clutch 3-pointer to help 15th-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes pull away from No. 10 seed Ohio State Buckeyes for a 77-70 victory on Wednesday night in a Big Ten Tournament opener.
Bruce Thornton converted a three-point play and then added a pullup jumper following a Harding turnover to cut the Ohio State deficit to 72-70 with 45 seconds left. Harding answered with a 3-pointer, Thornton missed a 3 on the other end and Payton Sandfort added two free throws to seal it for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa (17-15) will move on to face fifth-seeded Wisconsin (23-8) in the second round on Thursday.
Payton Sandfort finished with 17 points for the Hawkeyes, who shot 55% (29 of 53). Josh Dix added 16 points and Pryce Sandfort had 10. Harding shot 5 of 6 from the floor and made three 3-pointers.
Thornton scored 24 points and had nine assists to lead Ohio State (17-15). Devin Royal chipped in with 17 points and Micah Parrish had 16.
There were 13 lead changes and the score was tied 10 times. Iowa shot 10 of 24 from 3-point range while Ohio State was 5 of 22 from distance.
The teams were tied at 37 at the break then Iowa opened the second half on a 17-9 run for its largest lead at 54-46, with about 14 minutes remaining. The Hawkeyes took the lead for good, 62-61, with 7:11 to play.
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1st Half
IOWA
Hawkeyes
37
OSU
Buckeyes
37
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Seydou Traore vs. Sean Stewart (Buckeyes gains possession)
19:38
Seydou Traore shooting foul (Devin Royal draws the foul)
19:38
Devin Royal misses regular free throw 1 of 2
19:38
+1
Devin Royal makes regular free throw 2 of 2
0-1
19:15
Seydou Traore turnover (bad pass)
18:51
Seydou Traore blocks Devin Royal's two point jump shot
18:49
Ladji Dembele defensive rebound
18:42
Seydou Traore misses three point jump shot
18:40
John Mobley Jr. defensive rebound
18:35
Devin Royal misses three point jump shot
18:33
Josh Dix defensive rebound
18:05
Seydou Traore misses two point jump shot
18:03
Sean Stewart defensive rebound
17:48
John Mobley Jr. misses three point jump shot
17:46
Hawkeyes defensive rebound
17:30
Josh Dix misses two point jump shot
17:28
Sean Stewart defensive rebound
17:19
Bruce Thornton misses two point layup
17:17
Sean Stewart offensive rebound
17:13
Sean Stewart turnover (lost ball) (Josh Dix steals)
17:06
Payton Sandfort turnover (lost ball) (Sean Stewart steals)
16:54
Seydou Traore shooting foul (John Mobley Jr. draws the foul)
16:54
+1
John Mobley Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2
0-2
16:54
+1
John Mobley Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2
0-3
16:37
Pryce Sandfort turnover (lost ball) (Devin Royal steals)
16:14
John Mobley Jr. misses two point jump shot
16:12
Pryce Sandfort defensive rebound
16:03
Drew Thelwell misses three point jump shot
16:01
Devin Royal defensive rebound
15:47
Ladji Dembele personal foul (Bruce Thornton draws the foul)
15:47
TV timeout
15:28
Josh Dix blocks Micah Parrish's two point jump shot
15:26
Drew Thelwell defensive rebound
15:23
Drew Thelwell turnover (lost ball)
14:55
+3
Ques Glover makes three point jump shot (Bruce Thornton assists)
0-6
14:38
Micah Parrish personal foul (Payton Sandfort draws the foul)
14:23
Ques Glover personal foul (Drew Thelwell draws the foul)
14:23
Micah Parrish personal foul
14:15
Payton Sandfort misses two point jump shot
14:13
Ladji Dembele offensive rebound
14:11
+2
Ladji Dembele makes two point layup
2-6
13:57
Ladji Dembele blocks Aaron Bradshaw's two point layup
13:55
Ladji Dembele defensive rebound
13:49
Payton Sandfort turnover (bad pass)
13:38
Devin Royal misses three point jump shot
13:36
Pryce Sandfort defensive rebound
13:28
+2
Josh Dix makes two point layup (Pryce Sandfort assists)
4-6
13:11
Brock Harding shooting foul (Bruce Thornton draws the foul)
13:11
+1
Bruce Thornton makes regular free throw 1 of 2
4-7
13:11
+1
Bruce Thornton makes regular free throw 2 of 2
4-8
12:57
+2
Payton Sandfort makes two point jump shot (Josh Dix assists)
6-8
12:46
John Mobley Jr. misses three point jump shot
12:44
Hawkeyes defensive rebound
12:19
+2
Brock Harding makes two point layup
8-8
11:58
Even Brauns shooting foul (Sean Stewart draws the foul)
11:58
TV timeout
11:58
Sean Stewart misses regular free throw 1 of 2
11:58
Sean Stewart misses regular free throw 2 of 2
11:58
Payton Sandfort defensive rebound
11:44
+3
Brock Harding makes three point jump shot
11-8
11:13
+3
Bruce Thornton makes three point jump shot
11-11
11:04
Pryce Sandfort misses three point jump shot
11:02
Sean Stewart defensive rebound
10:54
Payton Sandfort personal foul (Bruce Thornton draws the foul)
10:34
John Mobley Jr. misses three point jump shot
10:32
John Mobley Jr. offensive rebound
10:24
+2
Sean Stewart makes two point layup
11-13
10:03
Drew Thelwell misses three point jump shot
10:01
Even Brauns offensive rebound
9:57
+3
Brock Harding makes three point jump shot (Even Brauns assists)
14-13
9:42
Pryce Sandfort shooting foul (Micah Parrish draws the foul)
9:42
+1
Micah Parrish makes regular free throw 1 of 2
14-14
9:42
+1
Micah Parrish makes regular free throw 2 of 2
14-15
9:16
+2
Even Brauns makes two point layup (Brock Harding assists)
16-15
8:59
+3
Micah Parrish makes three point jump shot (Bruce Thornton assists)
16-18
8:40
+3
Pryce Sandfort makes three point jump shot (Brock Harding assists)
19-18
8:14
+3
John Mobley Jr. makes three point jump shot (Bruce Thornton assists)
19-21
7:42
+2
Drew Thelwell makes two point layup (Even Brauns assists)
21-21
7:25
+2
Devin Royal makes two point layup (Bruce Thornton assists)
21-23
7:24
Pryce Sandfort shooting foul (Devin Royal draws the foul)
7:24
TV timeout
7:24
+1
Devin Royal makes regular free throw 1 of 1
21-24
7:10
+3
Josh Dix makes three point jump shot (Brock Harding assists)