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Tilly’s Late Bucket Gives Buckeyes 64-63 Victory Over Notre Dame
11/16/2025 4:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – On a day celebrating one of Ohio State’s all-time greats, the Buckeyes delivered a dramatic win. Led by senior guard Bruce Thornton’s 24 points and a game-winning lay-up by Christoph Tilly, Ohio State edged Notre Dame 64–63 in front of a raucous Value City Arena crowd Sunday afternoon to remain unbeaten on the season.
The game capped off Jerry Lucas Legacy Weekend, honoring the Ohio State legend with a statue unveiling on Friday and a halftime appearance during which Lucas dotted the “i” in Script Ohio.
Thornton finished with 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting and added four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. In doing so, he passed both Terence Dials and Allan Hornyak to move into 13th place on Ohio State’s all-time scoring list with 1,588 career points.
Tilly delivered his best performance of the young season, scoring 18 points and grabbing four rebounds while going 10-of-13 from the free-throw line. Junior Devin Royal added seven points and a team-high six rebounds, while John Mobley Jr. and Gabe Cupps chipped in nine and two, respectively. Bynum provided a spark off the bench with four points and five rebounds, including a crucial dunk midway through the second half.
Ohio State shot 38.0 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three-point range but made up for it at the free-throw line, going 19-of-23 (82.6%). The lead changed hands nine times throughout the game, a fun back-and-forth contest. Braeden Shrewsberry gave the Irish the lead with a jumper at the 2:08 mark but Notre Dame wouldn’t score again. Tilly’s lay-in with 13 seconds left put the Buckeyes back in front by one and Markus Burton’s game-winning three-point attempt was off the mark as time expired.
Burton led the Irish with 14 points despite shooting just 3-of-14 from the field. Freshman Jalen Haralson added 13, while Carson Towt posted a game-high 12 rebounds to go with eight points.
With the win, Ohio State improves to 4–0 on the season and continues its strong start under head coach Jake Diebler.
Up Next
Ohio State returns to action on Thursday, Nov. 20 when the Buckeyes host Western Michigan at 8 p.m. ET at Value City Arena. Tickets can be purchased at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
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