No. 25 Ohio State Drops Road Contest to No. 21 Minnesota

The Buckeyes still find themselves searching for their first road win of the season after falling to Minnesota in Big Ten action.

“Top-25 matchup” is going to be a common phrase in the B1G this season and every conference game is going to be a test.

In its second contest between nationally ranked teams, Ohio State found itself on the short end of the straw in a 77-60 loss to No. 21 Minnesota in Minneapolis.

After getting off to a sluggish start, Ohio State battled back behind the hot hand of Duane Washington Jr and his 13 first-half points. The score stayed within a few points for most of the period until the Buckeyes stumbled and went over four minutes without a made field goal.

E.J. Liddell was stifled in the first half on just 1-of-6 shooting but got into a little bit of a rhythm coming out of the locker room. However, that rhythm was short-lived as Ohio State’s leading scorer only finished with 10 points on the night.

Foul trouble became a bit of an issue for the Buckeyes as Kyle Young and Zed Key each picked up their respective third foul less than a minute apart. Liddell and Justice Sueing also had two fouls apiece at that point, leading Minnesota to exploit the interior even more than it already had.

Buckeyes Bothered by Minnesota’s Physicality

Washington Jr. was quiet until about the 12 minute mark of the final period when he connected on back-to-back possessions but the Golden Gophers always seemed to have an answer on the other end of the floor. Washington Jr. finished as the team’s leading scorer with 21 points, just one point shy of his career-high mark that was set against Rutgers - the other top-25 team the Buckeyes have faced this season.

Turnovers also plagued Ohio State as it gave the ball away seven times in the second half and 11 in the game. Combined with a 25.8 second-half shooting percentage, it proved to be too much for the Buckeyes to overcome. Ohio State never got within 10 points of the lead in the final 10 minutes and finished field goal-less in the final 4:13 of the game. 

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