A six-minute field goal drought and porous defensive effort in the second half ended Ohio State's Big Ten Tournament run early as Penn State upset the Buckeyes in Indianapolis.
All too frequently in the latter half of the season, Ohio State has gone cold in a crucial second-half stretch, often in conjunction with defensive lapses at the other end.
The Nittany Lions never led until the 5:57 mark, but never gave the lead back to the Buckeyes after that point. By the time Ohio State’s offense got going again, scoring eight points in the final 1:58, it was already too late. Penn State knocked down seven free throws in the final 2:11 to stay out of any serious danger, and sent the Buckeyes packing after playing just one game in Indianapolis.
After a road win over then-No. 15 Illinois on Feb. 24, one of Ohio State’s best wins of the season, Ohio State suffered a letdown loss to Maryland on the road just three days later. Rather than bounce back given the next opportunity, that loss was compounded upon when NebraskaOhio State appeared to briefly remedy its ills in a resilient effort against Michigan State, but quickly squandered any such favor with a“I wish I could tell you , I wish I could address it,” E.J.
Penn State guard Sam Sessoms scored nine points from 9:27 to 3:46, and the Nittany Lions had a field day picking up buckets inside, finishing the game with a 32-14 edge in points in the paint. Sessoms, who came off the bench for Penn State, led the team with 18 points, and the full Nittany Lion bench outscored Ohio State’s by a 32-9 margin.
Penn State scored 47 points in the second half alone, and shot 61.5 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes.
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