Ohio State
18-9,11-7Big Te
Nebraska (rescheduled from Jan. 22)
9-21,3-16Big Te
Liddell Scores 27 in 78-70 Setback to Nebraska
3/1/2022 10:53:36 PM | Men's Basketball
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell scored 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds but the Buckeyes dropped their second consecutive game, falling 78-70 to visiting Nebraska on Tuesday.
The Buckeyes are now 18-9 overall on the season and 11-7 in Big Ten play.
The double-double was the seventh of the season for Liddell who was 11-of-13 from the foul line. He also blocked six shots on the night, his third game this season with six or more blocks.
Malaki Branham scored 16 points and had a couple of assists. Jimmy Sotos hadn’t played in the last four games but came off the bench to knock-down a pair of three-pointers and finished with eight points and two assists.
Kyle Young started his second game this season but scored just two points in eight minutes before leaving with an illness. The Buckeyes were also without fellow forward Zed Key who suffered an ankle injury vs. Maryland on Sunday.
Nebraska continued its recent streak of hot shooting as the Cornhuskers shot 49.1 percent for the game and 39.1 percent from long range. The Buckeyes (38.6 percent) shot under 40 percent for the second consecutive game.
Ohio State hit three consecutive three-pointers to take a seven-point lead at 26-19 midway through the opening half. But the Buckeyes would make just one field goal over the final eight minutes of the half and Nebraska was able to claw back and take a 43-29 advantage at halftime.
The second half started with Nebraska extending their lead to 10 with 15:36 left in the game. After a quick run from the Buckeyes and a Sotos three-pointer, the lead was trimmed to six with 10:05 remaining. Despite Ohio State’s effort late from Liddell and Branham, as well as a couple timely plays giving the Buckeyes and their fans a sliver of hope, Nebraska made enough shots down the stretch to pull out the win.
Notes
- E.J. Liddell recorded his 7th double-double of the year and 11th of his career with a game-high 27 points and 14 rebounds.
- Liddell had six blocks and moved into eighth in program history with 132. He passed both Keita Bates-Diop who had 128 from 2015-18 and Lawrence Funderburke who had 131 from 1992-94.
- Kyle Young started his second game of the season and the 67th of his career
- Malaki Branham had his fifth-consecutive double digit scoring game and his 14th of the season
- Eugene Brown III dished-out a career-high three assists
- The Buckeyes used their eighth different starting lineup of the season as Kyle Young replaced the injured Zed Key.
Up Next
Ohio State remains at home for two more games this season. The Buckeyes will host Michigan State on Thursday night and then rival Michigan on Sunday. Tip-off Thursday against the Spartans is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.
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