Buckeyes Pick Up 89-85 Win at No. 8 Iowa

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Ohio State men’s basketball did something Thursday that it hadn’t done in 121 previous seasons: it won for the fourth consecutive time on the road against a Top-15 team.

The seventh-ranked Buckeyes used hot 3-point shooting and a key run midway through the second half to defeat No. 8 Iowa, 89-85, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The Buckeyes improve to 15-4 overall and 9-4 in the Big Ten while Iowa is now 13-5, 7-4.

Ohio State made 14 3-point field goals and turned a 61-50 deficit midway through the second half into a 67-66 lead at the 10:12 mark thanks to a 17-5 run. The Buckeyes took the lead for good on a Kyle Young dunk with 8:10 remaining for a 71-70 lead and iced the game when Justin Ahrens made three 3-pointers in the final four minutes of the game.

The box score showed another balanced scoring effort as four players finished in double figures, led by the trio of Duane Washington Jr., Young and E.J. Liddell, who all finished with 16 points. Ahrens’ three 3s gave him nine points on the night while CJ Walker added nine assists in his 25 minutes of action. Justice Sueing had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.

On the defensive end, the Buckeyes held Luka Garza, the nation’s leading scorer and favorite to win the Wooden Award as the national player of the year, to 16 points – 10 below his average.

Ohio State’s four-consecutive road win over top 15-ranked teams includes a stretch of games vs. No. 15 Rutgers, No. 14 Illinois, No. 10 Wisconsin and No. 8 Iowa. The Buckeyes have won seven of their last eight games overall and four in a row.

The first half saw 13 lead changes with the Hawkeyes hitting a late 3 to head to the locker room with a 45-42 lead. Sueing led the Buckeyes with 10 points. He also added four rebounds. Freshman Zed Key came off the bench to lead Ohio State with five boards to go with six points on 3-of-3 shooting.

Ohio State is back to the road for a 9 p.m. tip at Maryland Monday.

🔊Postgame Comments

🗣️🏀 @ChrisHoltmann on @OhioStateHoops resilience and ability to rally on the road for another Top 10 victory #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/Wv2HpggbCk

— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) February 5, 2021

🗣️🏀 @dwizthekid4 on his consecutive 3-point FGs to help @OhioStateHoops erase Iowa's 11-point second half lead #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/cLOJlzd6UZ

— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) February 5, 2021

Postgame Notes

Ohio State has now won four-consecutive road games vs. Top 15 opponents:

• Jan. 9 at Rutgers W, 79-68(15)
• Jan. 16 at Illinois W, 87(21)-81(14)
• Jan. 23 at Wisconsin W, 74(15)-62(10)
• Feb. 4 at Iowa W, 89(7)-85(8)

Ohio State has won six consecutive games vs. Top 10 opponents:

Ohio State Streak vs. The Top 10

• 11/13/19 W 1-Villanova 76(16)-51(10)
• 12/4/19 W @2-North Carolina 74(6)-49(7)
• 12/21/19 W 3-vs. Kentucky 71(5)-65(6)
• 2/23/20 W Maryland 79(25)-72(7)
• 1/23/21 W @Wisconsin 74(15)-62(10)
• 2/4/21 W @Iowa 89(7)-85(8)
  1-Gavitt Games, Columbus, Ohio
  2-Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
  3-CBSSports Challenge, Las Vegas
• Zed Key has made 11 of his last 12 shots from the field over the last four games. He finished 3-3 vs. the Hawkeyes.
• Ohio State was playing its fourth-consecutive road game vs. a Top 15 opponent. The Buckeyes defeated No. 15 Rutgers, No. 14 Illinois and No. 10 Wisconsin prior to taking on the No. 8 Hawkeyes.
• CJ Walker had a streak of 45-consecutive free throws made snapped with a second half miss.
• Seven Buckeyes hit at least one 3-pointer in the wins: Ahrens (3), Washington Jr. (3), Young (2), Sueing (2), Liddell (1), Brown III (1), Johnson Jr. (1).
• Both teams were credited with 20 assists and both teams committed just six turnovers. Walker led the Buckeyes with nine helpers.
• Justice Sueing recorded his fourth career double double and his third as a Buckeye with 12 points and 11 rebounds
• Ohio State is 5-1 vs. ranked teams this year with E.J. Liddell leading the way offensively averaging 18.0 points a game. Duane Washington Jr. is adding 16.0 ppg. ahead of senior Kyle Young’s 10.8 ppg.