It was far from a beauty pageant on hardwood, but the Ohio State basketball team played good defense, took advantage of a bad shooting day from Penn State, and did just enough on the offensive end to win an ugly game against the Nittany Lions on Sunday 61-56.
The Buckeyes managed to score just 61 points on 17-of-44 (38.6%) shots from the field. Fortunately, Penn State experienced shooting just as bad, knocking down just 21-of-53 (39.6%). OSU took advantage of 36 attempts at the free-throw line, knocking down 24 at the charity stripe to just eight for the Nittany Lions.
It was a game Ohio State led almost entirely after absorbing a quick start from the Nittany Lions, who were without their leading scorer, swing-man Seth Lundy. Despite it all, things stayed pretty close throughout, including the second half. The lead never reached more than ten, and never got back to one possession.
Penn State did have a desperate flurry to make the game closer than what it may have appeared down the stretch, but it was all a little too late.
Got the W!#Team123 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/9hhc2Spxh2
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) January 16, 2022
E.J. Liddell led all scorers with a somewhat quiet 19 points. He made 6-of-11 field goals, including 1-of-2 from beyond the arc. He could have poured in more if it weren’t for going just 6-of-12 from the free-throw line.
With the win, Ohio State improves to 1-4 overall, and 5-2 in the conference to stay within arm’s reach of the league leaders. The Buckeyes are next in action against IUPUI at home on Tuesday.
