Slow out of the gates in both halves, Ohio State falls at Minnesota

Ohio State interim head coach Jake Diebler knew Minnesota was going to stitch together a run — actually maybe a couple runs — the key for the Buckeyes was going to be finding a way to respond.

To a certain degree, Ohio State did.

But it’s when Minnesota surged that was so damaging to the Buckeyes’ chances Thursday night in Minneapolis.

The Golden Gophers outscored Ohio State, 24-6, over the first and last four minutes of the first half. Then, in the first four minutes of the second half, they grew their eight-point halftime lead to 12. Minnesota pushed that advantage to as many as 17 points in the final frame.

Making a run at the NCAA Tournament in head coach Ben Johnson’s third year at the helm, Minnesota ebbed and flowed from downtown against Ohio State. But the Golden Gophers caught fire from beyond the arc in the beginning of each half. They cashed in on their first four long-range shots of the game, and they made four of their first six 3-pointers in the second period.

Those stretches made the difference and dug the Buckeyes in a hole that was ultimately too big for Bruce Thornton and Jamison Battle to get them out of. Thornton scored 23 second-half points and finished with 25, and Battle knocked down five triples to the tune of 21 points. Those two helped extend the game, however, the Buckeyes fell, 88-79.

Despite playing improved defense for stretches — notably holding Minnesota scoreless for a 3:24 stretch in the second half — second-chance points and flurries of 3-point shooting did Ohio State in.

The Buckeyes (15-12, 5-11 Big Ten) have now lost a program-record 17 straight “true” road games. Minnesota (17-9, 8-7), meanwhile, added to its March Madness resume.

Lettermen Row has Three Points from the Buckeyes’ defeat.

Buckeyes bench keeps them in the game early

Minnesota threw the first punch, opening the game with an 8-0 run and then ultimately stretching its lead to 11 points later in the first half. Ohio State rallied to tie not once but twice in the opening frame, in part thanks to its bench. In fact, the Buckeyes’ supporting cast accounted for 10 of the team’s first 17 points. Scotty Middleton knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to immediately to cap an 8-0 Ohio State surge that slingshotted Diebler’s squad back into the game. That Buckeyes run started with a Zed Key dunk. All three of those buckets in that sequence were assisted by Thornton, although the sophomore point guard recorded only two points on just two shot attempts in the first period.

Earlier on, Devin Royal flushed a two-handed dunk after rolling off a screen. In addition to Middleton and Royal, a third Ohio State freshman was in for critical minutes in the opening stanza: Taison Chatman. After logging three first-half minutes against Purdue, Chatman saw seven minutes of action in the opening half at Minnesota. He even scored his first field goal in scarlet and gray, capitalizing on a give-and-go opportunity to make it a 30-25 game. Then Chatman nearly stole the ball from Golden Gophers star Dawson Garcia, extending a Minnesota possession that ended in an offensive foul. On the other end, Chatman found Battle for a game-tying 3-pointer, except Chatman wasn’t credited for the assist.

Jamison Battle stepped up to the plate in ‘The Barn’

The boo birds were out for Battle, and they didn’t let up. Battle received a chorus of jeers every time he touched the ball or his name was called by the PA announcer, which isn’t too surprising considering the Robbinsdale native left his hometown school to use his fifth year of eligibility at Ohio State. Despite the theatrics at Williams Arena — otherwise known as “The Barn” — Battle delivered under pressure like the veteran he is. He connected on his first three 3-pointers and drew a foul on another attempt from beyond the arc, rounding out the opening period with a team-high 13 points.

Battle knocked down his first triple of the half from the top of the arc. His second featured a James Harden-like pullback and stepback. Battle was the only Buckeyes player who scored in the final 4:30 before intermission, converting a runner in the lane to briefly interrupt a 10-2 run Minnesota run. Battle was quieter in the second half, during which he scored only five points and had a turnover that led to a Cam Christie 3-pointer. Still, as mentioned, he wrapped the night with 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting, an impressive feat in a playfully hostile homecoming environment.

Minnesota controls glass, capitalizes on second-chance opportunities

Minnesota ended the first half with two offensive rebounds and a second-chance bucket. Garcia reeled in both boards, first off a Mike Mitchell Jr. missed 3-pointer and then off an Elijah Hawkins drive. Fittingly, Garcia was rewarded with two points inside. Minnesota outrebounded Ohio State, 18-9, in the opening frame and 32-26 in the game. The Golden Gophers had 11 second-chance points in the first half and eight more in the second, closing the night with a total of 13 offensive rebounds.

Diebler emphasized the importance of rebounding against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers, like the Buckeyes, are ranked inside the top 100 in KenPom offensive rebounding percentage. As has too often been the case this season, Ohio State struggled on the defensive glass, and it came back to haunt the Buckeyes Thursday night, especially in the first half. Ohio State’s top-two centers, Felix Okpara and Key, combined for three rebounds. Okpara found himself in foul trouble again and was scoreless, whereas Key pitched in seven points. Royal had only one rebound in 12 minutes, too.

Hawkins and Garcia paced Minnesota with 24 and 22 points, respectively. Pharrel Payne continued to impose his will in the second half of the season with 15 points and four boards.