Buckeyes Drop First Home Game This Year, Fall To Iowa
February Saturday afternoons in the Big Ten typically bring about some of the most physical games the league has to offer. This afternoon in Columbus was right on par.
The Iowa Hawkeyes battered the Buckeyes in the second half and handed Ohio State its first home loss of the season, 75-62.
The Buckeyes allowed Iowa to grab 20 offensive rebounds, which turned into 18 second chance points. OSU only buried 2-of-11 3-pointers in the game.
Iowa star Keegan Murray had 20 points in the first half and looked unstoppable, but the Buckeyes did a great job holding him in check after the break.
Scarlet and Gray star E.J. Liddell ended the night with 15 points in a below average performance. Liddell played fine, but considering how good he's been this season, he was noticeably off on Saturday.
The Buckeyes did a good job early in the second half, but the offense soon went ice cold. The game basically flipped when Jamari Wheeler picked up a controversial fourth foul that infuriated Ohio State's bench.
From that point forward, the Buckeyes didn't make a single shot from the field for 7:55 and found themselves down 11 points. The Hawkeyes' defense harassed the Buckeyes never got their momentum back.
Ohio State burgeoning star Malaki Branham dropped a team-high 22 points to give the Buckeyes a huge lift ... and he did it on a special day. Branham wears No. 22 for the Scarlet and Gray, which hangs in the rafters thanks to the great Jim Jackson.
Jackson, who granted Branham permission to wear the number before the season started, was on the FOX national TV broadcast on Saturday and the two stars had a chance to meet pregame.
Michael Redd, who also lit up the scoreboard during his college days wearing No. 22, was also in attendance.
The Buckeyes season continues on Monday night at home against Indiana. The Hooisers were supposed to be in Columbus today, but the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes had to make up their postponed game from February 3. OSU is in the midst of a challenging stretch, during which they're playing eight games in 21 days.
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