Ohio State blows 18-point second-half lead at Penn State
COLUMBUS — The first big win of the Mike Rhoades era at Penn State was delivered by one of two players he brought over from his previous stop, VCU. Ace Baldwin Jr. took a dribble handoff from Kanye Clary, faked a shot from NBA range and then pulled up from the right side of the arc with star Ohio State point guard Bruce Thornton in his face.
And, just like that, Penn State — which was down by as many as 18 points in the second half Saturday — had the lead over the Buckeyes in a roaring Bryce Jordan Center.
In a complete 180 from the opening frame, the Nittany Lions played Ohio State’s game in the second period. The Buckeyes came into the weekend with the best 3-point shooting percentage and offensive rebounding percentage in the Big Ten. Penn State, which was outrebounded, 26-12, in the first half and made just two 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes, piled up 10 offensive boards and eight triples in the final frame.
None were more significant than Baldwin’s, which ultimately sealed a monumental comeback — well, for Penn State. For Ohio State, it was a monumental face plant.
Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann drew up a potential game-winner for Minnesota transfer Jamison Battle, but unlike seven days earlier against his old team, Battle couldn’t get Ohio State a bucket when it needed him to most. Battle got a great look off a hammer screen from center Felix Okpara, however, his shot was off the mark.
In the last 10 years, Ohio State was 80-1 when leading by 10-plus points at halftime. Now, after their 83-80 defeat to Penn State, the Buckeyes are 80-2 in such games over the past decade.
A new-look Penn State (5-5, 1-1 Big Ten) snapped its five-game losing streak Saturday night. Ohio State (8-2, 1-1), on the other hand, is still dealing with a much-less discussed skid. The Buckeyes haven’t won a Big Ten road game since New Year’s Day.
Ohio State entered Happy Valley winners of seven straight and with a 40% clip from downtown, good for not only first in the Big Ten but also 12th in the country. The Buckeyes hit three of their first four shots from beyond the arc, staking themselves to an early 13-9 lead.
Thornton rattled home the first of Ohio State’s early-game triples. But Battle — who was 12-of-27 from deep over the last four games — knocked down the Buckeyes’ next two shots from long range.
Battle and freshman wing Scotty Middleton paced a balanced Ohio State scoring attack in the first half. Both had eight points in the opening frame, as Middleton also sunk a pair of 3-pointers later in the period.
Penn State students didn’t hold back when Ohio State guard Evan Mahaffey got his hands on the ball. A chorus of boos and jeers were sent his way. After all, Mahaffey was part of the post-NCAA Tournament Penn State transfer exodus following the departure of head coach Micah Shrewsberry.
Rhoades brought in nine transfers of his own to fill the void.
One Penn State newcomer, in particular, gave the Nittany Lions a shot in the arm. That was Leo O’Boyle, a 6-foot-7 forward from Lafayette University.
It started when O’Boyle challenged Ohio State center Zed Key for a rebound. They got tangled up, and Key hit his head hard on the wood. Key stayed in the game, and the two veterans began trading buckets.
O’Boyle drilled a 3-pointer. Then Key scored on him down low. O’Boyle drew a foul on another 3-pointer, this time cashing in three free throws. Then Key spun past him and elevated for an emphatic dunk.
A Middleton 3-pointer interrupted the head-to-head, but, moments later, O’Boyle added his second connection from distance of the opening frame, pulling the Nittany Lions within one, 21-20.
But that’s when Ohio State orchestrated a 10-2 run, a sequence that saw the Buckeyes tie off a streak of six consecutive made field goals.
Penn State big man Qudus Wahab had a fast start, thanks to some nice touch away from the basket, but Ohio State’s high ball-screen actions were giving him fits on the other end of the court.
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First Wahab decided to double Thornton off a screen from Buckeyes starting center Felix Okpara. That left Okpara a free lane to roll to the basket for an easy alley-oop dunk. Shortly after, Wahab was faced with the same dilemma. He couldn’t pick between helping on Thornton or protecting the rim — The 6-foot-11 center ended up getting turned around while Thornton attacked the hole for an and-one.
Penn State adjusted to a 2-3 zone, almost immediately resulting in a theft of Key in the post and a fastbreak layup for D’Marco Dunn that made it a 34-27 game. Before half’s end, Ohio State worked its lead back to double digits, in part because of a nice drive by Dale Bonner and a 3-pointer from Roddy Gayle Jr.
Neither Ohio State nor Penn State logged a field goal in the final 2:41 of the period. The Nittany Lions — who came into the night 13th nationally in defensive turnover percentage, per KenPom — had already forced nine Buckeyes turnovers by intermission yet had only four points off those Ohio State giveaways.
Ohio State stretched its lead to a game-high 18 points less than five minutes into the second half. Thornton got things going with a second-chance 3-pointer. Battle used an ankle breaker to set up a mid-range jumper.
Penn State deployed a full-court press, which Battle promptly broke with back-to-back assists, the second leading to a Gayle 3-pointer.
Soon after, Battle netted his third triple. That shot lifted Ohio State to a 55-37 advantage, its aforementioned 18-point lead.
That’s when the game flipped upside down. Penn State used a 25-9 run to draw within two points of Ohio State with 7:23 remaining.
Dunn, a transfer from University of North Carolina, scored 10 of his career-high 16 points during that surge. One of his four makes in that sequence saw him follow up two of his own misses with offensive rebounds and, eventually, score a successful putback. That stretch also included a no-look, over-the-head layup from Clary as well as two 3-pointers from Temple transfer Zach Hicks.
Dunn’s second and then third effort, as described above, hinted as the Nittany Lions’ offensive rebounding movement in the second half.
Mahaffey — who had five points, five rebounds, six assists, one block and three turnovers — followed up an acrobatic and-one from Clary, his old roommate, with a dunk. Then O’Boyle knotted things up at 74-74 with a 3-pointer, giving him 15 points on the night.
An Okpara putback preceded Baldwin’s game-winner and Battle’s almost game-winner. Ohio State, though, shot 4-of-15 in the final 10 minutes, including 1-of-4 from deep. Penn State, meanwhile, shot 10-of-19 in that span, including 4-of-10 from long range.
The Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes at their game in the second half. And an Ohio State team that had ripped off seven consecutive double-digit victories since Nov. 10 let an eighth slip in colossal fashion.
