Men’s Basketball Squad Downs Michigan at Home,74-69 – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/9/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Hear Head Coach Jim O’Brien’s Post Game Comments
Box Score
February 9, 1999
By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Michael Redd led the Big Ten in scoring last year, but now he’s finding other ways to win games for 13th-ranked Ohio State.
Redd didn’t score any of his 22 points in the last four minutes, but had an assist and a timely tip that pushed the Buckeyes past Michigan 74-69 Tuesday night.
“I wanted the ball in my hands in the final minute,” Redd said after the Buckeyes (18-6, 8-3 in the Big Ten) finished the game with a 9-2 run to retain sole possession of second place in the conference.
With Ohio State holding a 68-67 lead, Redd drove the lane and whipped a pass in traffic to Ken Johnson for a dunk with 57.7 seconds left that brought the crowd of 18,645 to its feet with a thunderous roar.
Redd drove through the heart of the Michigan defense, pirouetted, and wrapped the pass around Michigan’s Josh Asselin.
“That was an A’ pass,” said Ohio State point guard Scoonie Penn, who added 21 points and five assists.
Michigan turned the ball over on its next possession when Ohio State freshman Brian Brown knocked the ball away from Louis Bullock on a drive and Redd ended up with the ball.
The Buckeyes ran time off the clock until Johnson was fouled with 15.4 seconds left. He missed both foul shots, but his second try bounded off the back of the rim. Redd leaped and batted the ball to the backcourt, where Penn caught it and was fouled.
“Fortunately it bounced off long,” Redd said. “I just wanted to get it to Scoonie.”
Penn hit those two free throws with 11.1 seconds left, then added two more with 1.9 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Penn raised his clenched fists in celebration as the final horn sounded.
“When the game is tight at the end, Michael and I are really confident in our abilities,” said Penn. “I think we both understand we’re the go-to guys.”
Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe said the difference was the play of Penn and Redd.
“If you’re going to beat Ohio State, you can’t let them score 43 points and 25 of their team’s 36 in the second half,” he said. “They made a lot of plays down the stretch.”
A year removed from a dreadful 8-22 record – and an all-time worst 1-15 Big Ten mark – Ohio State now finds itself close to clinching an NCAA tournament spot with five games remaining.
Asked if this was the win that put Ohio State in the NCAA tournament, Penn smiled and said, “No. We’re a step closer, though.”
Jim O’Brien, who suffered through his first year at Ohio State last season, said he wasn’t ready to celebrate a tournament berth just yet.
“All I can tell you is we’re getting a little bit closer,” he said.
Josh Asselin had 17 points, Robbie Reid 16 and Brandon Smith and Bullock each had 11 for the Wolverines (10-15, 4-8 Big Ten).
Michigan scored only two points over the final 3 1/2 minutes as the Buckeyes closed the game with a 9-2 run.
Jason Singleton and Jon Sanderson each added 12 points for the Buckeyes, who have won five of six games since losing at Michigan 84-74 on Jan. 16.
In that game, Asselin dominated inside (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Reid and Bullock made 10 3-pointers. This time, Reid and Bullock were a combined 7-of-15 on 3-pointers but weren’t a factor at the end.
Michigan led 65-63 on Bullock’s 3-pointer from the right wing with 4:34 left. Redd’s baseline drive tied it before Asselin’s tip-in with 3:36 left gave the Wolverines their final lead at 67-65.
Penn hit a long 3-pointer at the 3:21 mark to give Ohio State the lead for good. The Buckeyes have won eight Big Ten games for the first time in six years.
“In games like this in the last 3 or 4 minutes, you have to tighten all the screws,” Penn said. “We did that.”
