Ohio State Falls to Wisconsin Behind Late-Game Heroics from Max Klesmit

Chris Holtmann's Ohio State Buckeyes continued to struggle in conference play against the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Buckeyes struggled to finish yet again.

Ohio State (12-4, 2-3 Big Ten) couldn’t outlast Wisconsin (12-3, 4-0 Big Ten) late Wednesday, as the Badgers pulled away late with a 71-60 win over the Buckeyes despite another big game from senior forward Jamison Battle.

In front of a big crowd, Ohio State started hot off the stove. Sophomore center Felix Okpara had a big block four minutes in, shifting the momentum toward the Buckeyes for almost the entire remainder of the half.

Wisconsin played all game in on-ball transactions, as the team set effective downscreens. Ohio State’s backcourt did a good job fighting over screens but when they got stuck under, the Badgers capitalized with threes from the backcourt duo of junior Chucky Hepburn and sophomore AJ Storr, who combined for 18 in the first half.

Battle stayed on his hot streak, hitting four threes, including two late-possession high arc-ers, and finishing the half with 15 points.

However, Battle and sophomore guard Roddy Gayle Jr. continued to struggle with their on-ball defense.

Both teams got off to a slow start in the second half but Ohio State sophomore guard Bruce Thornton continued to hit consistently from midrange. Thornton and Hepburn traded a few buckets before Battle started to take over with two quick ones of his own early on.

Okpara had a big two-way game, including a heavy momentum-shifter with just over 10 minutes left when he had an and-one layup and one of his three big blocks. Freshman guard Scotty Middleton added a 3-pointer to give the Buckeyes the lead back with just under 10 minutes remaining.

From then on, the teams stayed close, trading buckets every possession.

However, Ohio State kept Wisconsin’s Storr quiet in the second but couldn’t buy a bucket of their own under five minutes. A big issue Holtmann should address has been finishing close games.

Junior guard Max Klesmit hit two threes late to give the Badgers the lead with just over three minutes remaining; this was enough to pull away and Wisconsin held this lead for the rest of the game. Klesmit finished with 18 points, including 10 in the final four minutes.

The Buckeyes struggled from the line all game, especially late, finishing 4-10 from the stripe. On the other hand, the Badgers couldn’t miss from the line, going a perfect 8-8.

Ohio State returns to action Monday in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to take on the Wolverines at noon from Crisler Center, streaming on FOX.