Ohio State
13-9,3-8Big Ten
Iowa
13-9,5-6Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio St. | 38 | 39 | 77 |
| Iowa | 36 | 43 | 79 |
Buckeyes Lose Back and Forth Battle at Iowa 79-77
2/2/2024 10:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Ohio State dropped a back-and-forth contest Friday night at Iowa, 79-77 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Jamison Battle led four Buckeyes (13-9, 3-8) in double-figures with 17 points on 3-of-5 from long range.
Felix Okpara tied his season-high with 14 points. He also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and extended his block streak to 28 games.
Bruce Thornton matched Okpara with 14 points and had three assists and zero turnovers. This was the eighth time this season he had zero turnovers in a game.
Roddy Gayle Jr. was the foruth Buckeye in double-figures with 12 points. Freshman Devin Royal had yet another solid game, finishing with nine points and three rebounds in a season-high 17 minutes.
Evan Mahaffey scored six points and had four assists with zero turnovers.
Tony Perkins led the Hawkeyes with a game-high 20 points.
Iowa sprinted out in transition all night, which turned out to be the difference in the game. The Hawkeyes held a 17-0 advantage in fast break points and shooting 54 percent from the floor.
A nip-and-tuck first half saw nine ties and five lead changes. The Buckeyes went on a 7-0 run late in the half to take a 30-27 lead and would eventually lead 38-36 at the break. Both teams had 7-0 runs in the half and both held four-point leads.
The second half was just as close. The Buckeyes hit back-to-back three-pointers to open the half and led by four at 44-40. Iowa later went on an 8-0 run to take a 59-54 lead with 9:18 to play. The Buckeyes battled-back to tie the game with 3:30 to go and would have the ball down one with under a minute to play. A turnover gave the ball back to Iowa and the Hawkeyes would hold on from the line down the stretch.
The Buckeyes return home to host a pair of games next week, starting with Indiana on Tuesday night.
