Ohio State
17-12,7-11Big Ten
Nebraska
20-9,10-8Big Ten
Behind Battle’s 32 Points, Buckeyes Top Nebraska 78-69
2/29/2024 10:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Missing its leading scorer, Ohio State’s Jamison Battle stepped-up and scored a season-high 32 to lead Ohio State to a 78-69 victory over Nebraska on Thursday night at Value City Arena.
The Buckeyes improve to 17-12 overall and 7-11 and in the Big Ten while Nebraska drops to 20-9 and 10-8.
Battle came out hot and made his first three three-point attempts. He finished with four three-pointers and was also a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. His 32 points top his previous season-high of 25 points against Minnesota in early December.
Roddy Gayle Jr. recorded the first double-double of his career, finishing with 16 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
Freshman Devin Royal had his second-consecutive solid game. He was 4-of-6 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the free throw line to finish with 13 points. Fellow freshman Scotty Middleton tied his season-high with three three-pointers and finished with nine points.
The Buckeyes were without leading scoring Bruce Thornton as he missed the game due to a migraine.
Behind Battle’s hot start, the Buckeyes took an early lead. But Nebraska clawed right back and grabbed as much as a seven-point lead with five minutes to play in the opening half. Ohio State then closed on a 12-3 run to end the half with a 39-37 lead at the break.
The run continued in the second-half, as the Buckeyes scored the first seven points to build a 46-37 advantage. But just like the first half, Nebraska fought back and cut the lead down to two on four different occasions, the last of which came with just under four minutes to play. That's when the Buckeyes defense stepped up and held Nebraska scoreless the rest of the way, save for a late layup when the game was already decided. The Buckeyes ultimately finished the game on a 9-2 run to close out its third victory and they last four games.
Ohio State closes out the home portion of the regular season on Sunday when it hosts rival Michigan at 4 p.m. It will also be senior day as the Buckeyes will honor four senior managers as well as Owen Spencer, Dale Bonner, Jamison Battle and Zed Key prior to the game.
