We’ve got an unexpected Ohio State basketball contest during the week because of a rescheduled contest against Penn State. So far, it’s living up to the billing of being a hotly contested league game with OSU leading at the break 43-39.
The Buckeyes came out on fire, scoring from multiple spots on the floor and playing solid defense on the other end. Justin Ahrens and Zed Key led the OSU in the first half with nine points apiece. E.J. Liddell has eight and a total of eight OSU players put the ball through the hoop. Ohio State led by as many as eleven points in the first twenty minutes.
It wasn’t all good news though. It rarely is during a Big Ten donnybrook. Penn State seemed to turn up the on-ball pressure towards the tail-end of the first half and it resulted in some costly turnovers that have allowed the Nittany Lions back in the game.
The Buckeyes also had no answer for forward Seth Lundy. He nailed 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. He also got to the rim on several occasions, drawing some fouls that got him to the free-throw line where he went 4-of-5 for a total of 17 points to lead all scorers.
First half in the books.#GoBuckeyes #Team122 pic.twitter.com/7MAUHwEKrD
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) January 28, 2021
OSU turned the ball over an uncharacteristic nine times as well heading into the locker room, and that has evened out the hot shooting for the Buckeyes.
You can bet that Penn State will continue to dial up the pressure in the second half, and it’ll take a much stronger, aggressive, and confident performance in the face of the adversity for Ohio State to pull this one out.
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