Ohio State Doomed By Indiana's 15-0 Run, 'Poorest Defensive Output' Of Year

Ohio State and Indiana went back and forth for the first 16 minutes of the game. The second half score was 40-40. But the Hoosiers' 15-0 run in the final 3:31 of the first half, coupled with what coach Chris Holtmann called the 'poorest defensive output' of the season, was too much to overcome in an 86-70 loss at Indiana.

Jack Ankony | Jan 29, 2023

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Ohio State threw the first punch, jumping out to a 9-2 lead with a Brice Sensabaugh 3-pointer and put-back layup.

Over the next 13-plus minutes, the Buckeyes and Hoosiers traded baskets until the scoreboard read 31-30, Indiana's lead, at the under-four minute media timeout. In the second half at Assembly Hall on Saturday night, the Big Ten foes each scored 40 points.

Indiana went back and forth most of the night, but a stretch of just over three minutes at the end of the first half decided the game.

It began with Indiana freshman Malik Reneau cleaning up Trayce Jackson-Davis' miss, followed by a Trey Galloway reverse layup off a back-door cut. Jackson-Davis added two straight buckets after a quiet start, and Jalen Hood-Schifino hit his sixth 3-pointer of the half. Reneau added another jump hook, and freshman Kaleb Banks streaked down the court, flushing a lob from Jackson-Davis to cap off Indiana's 15-0 run to close the half.

Behind a raucous Assembly Hall crowd, Indiana took control of the game

Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said poor offensive possessions led to transition looks for Indiana late in the first half. He thought the Buckeyes needed to be more intentional on offense and try to get to the free-throw line, but they instead settled for jump shots.

For Ohio State junior forward Zed Key, Indiana's run was a result of Ohio State's defensive struggles. In the end, it proved to be a major factor in Indiana's 86-70 win over the Buckeyes.

"The run at the end of the half hurt us in the long run," Key said. "We can't give up that many points. It starts on the defensive end, and shots weren't falling so that's not helping either. But it starts on the defensive end."

The losses are piling up fast for Ohio State, who has dropped seven of its last eight games and has just two wins in the month of January. The Buckeyes stand at 11-10 overall and 3-7 in Big Ten play, good for 12th place in the conference.

Holtmann gave credit to an Indiana team that has now won five in a row, but he didn't mince words after the game.

"I thought it was our poorest defensive output of the year," Holtmann said. "We've got to be better. They're a good offensive team, and they're playing at a good rhythm right now. But the end of the first half was really just too much."

Ohio State turned most of its defensive attention to Jackson-Davis in the first half, and rightfully so. The potential All-American big man entered the game averaging 27.3 points, 14.3 rebounds, 4.8 blocks and 3.8 assists with a 63.4 field goal percentage across the four previous games.

The Buckeyes sent double-teams and dug down on Jackson-Davis to force the ball out of his hands, holding him to 4-for-10 shooting in the first half. Jackson-Davis recognized the swarming defenders and dished out four first-half assists, most notably to a red-hot Hood-Schifino, who drilled 6-of-7 3-point attempts in the first 20 minutes.

"Obviously Trayce was a huge focal point for us defensively," Ohio State guard Sean McNeil said. "He's a big-time player, but then they've got big-time pieces around him, too, a lot of good players, a really good team. It was unfortunate [Hood-Schifino] shot 6-for-7 in the first half. You just try to make him miss, but it's tough when guys get rolling like that."

Hood-Schifino led all scorers with 24 points, complemented by 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks from Jackson-Davis. Reneau tied his career high with 15 points and snatched a career-high eight rebounds, playing crucial minutes with Jordan Geronimo sidelined with a calf injury. As a team, the Hoosiers shot 10-for-20 from beyond the arc.

On the other sideline, not much was working for the Ohio State offense outside of freshman sensation Brice Sensabaugh, who scored 23 points. Key added 12 points, but the rest of the Buckeyes were held to single figures and shot 5-for-19 from 3-point range.

There was obvious disappointment from Key after the game, but he remains confident Ohio State can turn things around despite the mounting losses.

"I know my guys," Key said. "We are a very talented team. I've been seeing it since the beginning of the summer when everyone got here. I know we're a really talented team, and we're in a little funk right now. People say, 'You look worried.' I'm not worried. We'll be fine. We'll get out this."

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