COLUMBUS, Ohio — Chris Holtmann trotted out some well-trod coachspeak as No. 17 Ohio State prepared to open the season with Akron.
On numerous preseason occasions, the Buckeyes coach called the Zips the toughest opponent Ohio State would open a season against during his five years with the program. He would be proven right.
A Zed Key layup at the buzzer gave Ohio State a 67-66 win against Akron in a stunner at Value City Arena.
Key's put-back of a Malaki Branham driving miss with 22.4 seconds left gave Ohio State a 65-62 lead, but Ali Ali hit a 3-pointer with 6.0 seconds left to tie the game. He was fouled by E.J. Liddell, hit the free throw and gave the Zips a 66-65 lead.
Ohio State (1-0) called timeout, Meechie Johnson pushed the ball upcourt and called timeout with 3.2 seconds left to set up the final shot. With Liddell on the bench, having fouled out, Key scored at the buzzer to shake off the upset.
The Buckeyes leaned heavily on Key and Liddell early to build a 15-point lead, but Akron (0-1) put together a run sandwiching halftime that flipped the game. With Ohio State ahead 35-21 and 2:09 left in the first half, the Zips closed with a 7-1 run to pull within 36-28 at the break. They picked right up where they left off to open the second, scoring on their first three possessions to pull even at 36, forcing Holtmann to call timeout with 18:21 to play.
With each make, the Zips were able to set their press and throw off Ohio State’s offensive rhythm. It took Liddell to break the cycle with a pair of drives, helping Ohio State reclaim the lead at 40-36. They would still be ahead, 59-57, when Ali hit a 3-pointer to reclaim the lead with 4:02 to play.
Down 62-59, Key threw down a slam to cut it to a one-point deficit and first-year guard Branham scored on a drive to reclaim the lead with 1:27 left to set up a frantic finish.
Kyle Young, who has been dealing with a vestibular dysfunction and missed the team’s closed scrimmage against Ole Miss and public exhibition against the University of Indianapolis, did not play but is likely to make his season debut either Friday against Niagara or next Monday against Bowling Green.
Justice Sueing, who also missed the Indianapolis exhibition with a groin injury, did return to action but came off the bench. The Buckeyes started a lineup of Jamari Wheeler, Johnson, Justin Ahrens, Liddell and Key. For Wheeler and Johnson, it marked their first starts at Ohio State.
It was Liddell who settled things after a nervy opening stretch for the Buckeyes, who fell behind 8-4 early and did not take the lead until Ahrens buried a 3-pointer to make it 11-8 with 13:03 left in the first half. With the Zips within 20-17, Liddell hit a 3-pointer with 6:58 left to start a personal run.
Two possessions later, he hit a tough mid-range jumper with a defender in his face. The next possession, it was a free throw, then a slam off a Key miss. When first-year guard Branham followed with his first career points on a finger roll, the lead was up to 30-19 and Akron called timeout. The lead would stretch to 35-21 with 2:19 left in the half, but Akron would come roaring back.
