By Ben LarrisonThe Daily Northwestern
For the third-straight home game, Northwestern had a chance to knock off a Big Ten power. But for the third-straight home game, the Wildcats could not find the points they needed in the finals minutes and wound up with the loss.
Led by a 17-point, 17-rebound performance from freshman Greg Oden, Ohio State pulled away late to defeat NU 59-50 Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
“I feel better from seven days ago (when the Cats fell 73-51 at Ohio State),” NU coach Bill Carmody said. “But we’ve played three Big Ten games at home now – Wisconsin, Michigan and now Ohio State – and those are some pretty good teams, and it seems like every game has been the same. It gets down to the last two or three minutes, and you’re right there, and we just can’t seem to turn it.”
NU executed its gameplan well early. While the Buckeyes tried to work Oden into the offense from the tip, NU smothered him with defenders whenever Ohio State tried to go inside, the center’s injured right wrist visibly affecting him. The Cats gave the Buckeyes bad looks from behind the arc and made 3-pointers of their own. NU started the game 3 for 5 from 3 and 5 for 9 overall, while holding Ohio State to just 3-of-8 shooting. The Cats even held their own on the boards, trailing the Buckeyes by just one rebound midway through the first half.
The Cats took their biggest lead of the night with 9:05 remaining before halftime, when they led 20-11 after a 13-4 run spotted with sloppy play by the Buckeyes. NU’s defense forced Ohio State into 14 turnovers, including eight in the first half.
For the next seven minutes, NU’s offense mysteriously disappeared, and the Buckeyes began to take control of the game. The Cats started to look tired when they had the ball, with players making fewer cuts. NU’s dry stretch from the field lasted until Tim Doyle made a layup with 1:40 to go in the half, and it broke a 12-0 Ohio State run in which the Buckeyes took their first lead in more than 10 minutes.
Ivan Harris led Ohio State back into the game, with 14 of his game-high 18 points coming in the first half.
“We had them exactly where we wanted them,” Doyle said. “We knew if we could hit some shots then they would come out (of the zone) and play us (man-to-man). But like every game, we went into a scoring drought.”
As the second half began, Ohio State secured its lead quickly with a 9-2 run over the first three minutes. But after getting up 38-28, the Buckeyes would go six minutes without a field goal. NU’s defense looked rejuvenated, once-again forcing turnovers and turning them into points. A 10-1 Cats run cut the Ohio State lead to one with 10:45 remaining.
NU kept it close, getting steals and trading baskets with the Buckeyes until the final minutes. It was a one-possession game with as little as 3:40 to go, but the Cats would run out of breaks. With Oden leading the way, Ohio State grabbed key offensive rebounds down the stretch, earning major second-chance points that helped them ultimately secure the win.
“Honestly, I thought Vince played (Oden) as well as he could have,” Doyle said. “I mean, Oden’s going to be a pro, and Vince is going to be an investment banker, so Vince did as good as he could staying in front of him.”
Reach Ben Larrison at [email protected].
