It was close for a while, but Michigan’s size proved too much for the Buckeyes.
For a while on Friday night, Ohio State was going toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the country in Michigan. The Buckeyes had a one-point lead midway through the second half… before the floodgates opened.
Michigan outscored the Buckeyes 27-14 over the final eight minutes of action for a 74-62 win Friday night in Ann Arbor. Yaxel Lendeborg led Michigan with 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes.
John Mobley Jr. led Ohio State with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-10 from three-point range.
The Buckeyes struggled to move the ball, dishing out just seven assists against 13 turnovers.
Despite going just 5-of-23 from three-point range, Michigan shot 51.9 percent from the field overall compared to Ohio State’s 40.7 percent.
First Half
Ohio State kept the game close early, even taking a 20-16 lead into the under-eight-minute media timeout. John Mobley Jr. had a stellar first half, scoring 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor with a pair of three-pointers.
Besides Mobley, though, the Buckeyes were 0-of-6 from three-point range. Despite taking six more shots than Michigan, Ohio State’s field goal percentage was 10.6 points lower.
The Buckeyes led 20-14 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half before the Wolverines rallied to take a 33-30 lead into the locker room.
It was a tightly-contested first half. The rebound battle was 18-16 in favor of the Wolverines, but the Buckeyes led 7-5 on the offensive glass.
Michigan had eight turnovers to eight assists, while Ohio State had just two assists to seven turnovers. Lendeborg led the Wolverines with nine points.
Second Half
The Buckeyes came roaring out of the gates in the second half, going on a 10-1 run to take a 40-34 lead that prompted Dusty May to take a timeout less than 2:30 into the second half.
Michigan responded with an 11-0 run to take a 45-40 lead just over three minutes later. The Buckeyes came back to take a 48-47 lead, but Michigan got hot from beyond the arc and opened up a 13-point lead with just over four minutes to play.
The lead would stay around there and end up as a 12-point win for Michigan, who improves to 18-1 overall and 8-1 in the Big Ten. Ohio State is now 13-6 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten.
Big Picture
Ohio State was right there for 30 minutes Friday night. I’m not one for moral victories, but to hold your own against a really good Michigan team says a lot about this team’s potential to compete in the Big Ten and be on the right side of the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.
Shooting has to get better for Ohio State. They need better consistency and more guys to step up and make an impact from beyond the arc. Going 8-of-27 from downtown and shooting 40.7 percent from the field overall is not going to cut it against elite teams.
Next up
Ohio State will be home against Penn State Monday night, a 7:00 tipoff on FS1. Penn State is 9-10 overall and 0-8 in Big Ten play, making this a game the Buckeyes simply have to win.
Category: General Sports
