Rutgers holds on for big win over No. 16 Ohio State

Rutgers had a halftime lead over No. 16 Ohio State, but trailed by eight with 3:48 left. That didn’t stop the Scarlet Knights, though, as they went on a huge run to take the lead — and win the game.

Rutgers pulled off the comeback to stun the Buckeyes 66-64 thanks to a 10-0 run to end the game. It’s a huge win as the Scarlet Knights improve to 8-5 in Big Ten play while the Buckeyes drop to 7-4.

Geo Baker had a huge game for Rutgers, dropping 25 points and hitting two key free throws with 18 seconds left to put the Scarlet Knights back out in front. As a group, Rutgers shot 53.2% from the field — a staunch shooting effort to lead the team to victory.

On the Ohio State side, Malaki Branham had 19 points on 7 for 13 shooting, including 4 of 5 three-pointers, to lead the Buckeyes offensive charge. The Buckeyes shot 55.8% from three-point territory and 40.4% overall.

Next up for Rutgers is a matchup with No. 14 Wisconsin on Saturday. Ohio State is now gearing up for a Saturday showdown with Michigan.

Inside the box score: Ohio State vs. Rutgers

Zed Key had a big day for Ohio State, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. EJ Liddell also had a good scoring day, dropping 16 points.

Cliff Omoruyi had an efficient day for Rutgers, shooting a perfect 6 for 6 from the field to score 13 points. Paul Mulcahy was the third Scarlet Knights in double figures with 12 points.

Ron Harper Jr. didn’t do much in terms of scoring, dropping six points on just 1 of 8 shooting. But he had three blocks, including a game-sealing stop with three seconds left on a Branham jumper.

Ohio State had to play most of the second half without Meechie Johnson, who hurt his ankle after landing on Key’s foot.

It’s yet another big home win for Rutgers, which defeated then-No. 1 Purdue 70-68 on Dec. 9 at Jersey Mike’s Arena. This is the Scarlet Knights” fourth Quadrant 1 victory this year — which is huge with Selection Sunday around the corner.