Ohio State basketball holds off Penn State 79-75 to advance to Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals

The one thing Thad Matta wanted from his Ohio State basketball team was to not let one bad thing boil over and become a bad loss. That's how you get ousted early from the Big Ten Tournament.

In the end, the Buckeyes didn't let that happen. But that didn't mean Ohio State didn't have to sweat one out.

The seventh-seeded Buckeyes held on for a 79-75 win over No. 10 Penn State on Thursday in the second round of the conference tournament. Ohio State's reward for holding off the Nittany Lions is a date with Michigan State in Friday's quarterfinals.

The victory gave Buckeyes coach Thad Matta another 20-win season. He's won at least 20 games in all 16 seasons he's been a head coach.

Ohio State (20-12) trailed at the half, but regained the lead early in the second half with a 14-0 run that was enough to retake the lead, but not enough to pull away. So the Lions hung around, and it was close until the final minutes.

Tied at 67 with 3:48 left, Marc Loving hit a couple free throws to give Ohio State the lead, and the Buckeyes didn't look back. Keita Bates-Diop had 14 points and six rebounds.

Loving finished with a a game-high 24 points. It was his third straight game with at least 20 points. JaQuan Lyle added 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Penn State shot 51 percent in the first half. The Buckeyes held the Lions to 35 percent in the second half.

• Check out our Big Ten Tournament live blog for all of Thursday's action

Ohio State had trouble contending with Penn State's inside-out game in the first half. Preoccupied with Lions forward Brandon Taylor in the post, Ohio State allowed some open looks from 3-point range for Shep Garner and Donovan Jack.

Penn State in total shot 7 for 12 from deep (Taylor hit a couple too) to build a 37-34 halftime lead. The Buckeyes did close the half on some strong defense, holding Penn State to one field goal in the final four minutes of the first half.

That defense carried over to the second half, when the Buckeyes put on that big run to regain the lead.

When it was over

Not until late. Remember, Ohio State had to sweat it out.

Loving blocked a layup by Penn State's Payton Banks with just over a minute left. Ohio State gathered the ball, and Loving was fouled on the ensuing possession. His free throws put Ohio State up 75-68 with 44 seconds left.

Penn State finished the game 3 for 10 from the field.

What it means

Ohio State wasn't going to do anything to help its NCAA Tournament chances with a win on Thursday, but it was completely dead with a loss. Now the real opportunity comes with another matchup against Michigan State.

The 20 wins are probably enough to lock in at least one home game in the NIT, if that's where the Buckeyes end up.

What's next

Ohio State will play second-seeded Michigan State on Friday at 6:30 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. The Buckeyes played the Spartans twice in the final three games of the season, losing both by an average of 17 points.




Link : http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2016/03/ohio_state_basketball_penn_sta_2.html