Ohio State secured a 76-72 victory against Rutgers with Bruce Thornton and Jamison Battle leading the scoring with 46 combined points. The win marked the Buckeyes’ fourth consecutive victory. Thornton contributed 24 points and Battle added 22 points, while Roddy Gayle Jr. scored all 11 of his points in the second half for the Buckeyes (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten).
Rutgers, on the other hand, was led by Derek Simpson who scored 23 points, followed by Noah Fernandes with 17 points and Mawot Mag with 11 points.
The game saw Ohio State holding a 74-69 lead before Simpson scored a 3-pointer with 15 seconds on the clock. However, Gayle sealed the win for the Buckeyes by making both free throws with three seconds remaining.
Although Rutgers was trailing by 17 points in the first half and facing a 13-point halftime deficit, they managed to narrow the gap and were within 67-66 with a jumper by Mag with 3:20 left to play. Evan Mahaffey then scored a crucial jumper to thwart Rutgers’ rally.
Ohio State remains unbeaten against Rutgers at home, with a record of 8-0, and holds a series lead of 12-4. The previous three meetings between the two teams were all decided by four points or fewer.
At halftime, Battle (17) and Thornton (15) matched Rutgers’ point total as Ohio State took a 45-32 lead.
Rutgers, who ranked in the top 10 nationally for allowing an average of just 61.4 points, were unable to contain Battle and Thornton, who had a hot start in the game.
Rutgers’ strategy was to put pressure on Ohio State’s backcourt trio of Battle, Thornton, and Gayle, who had an average combined scoring of 46.4 points. This proved effective early in the game, as Thornton, who had not exceeded two turnovers in any game that season, committed three turnovers within the first nine minutes of the game, allowing Rutgers to take a 20-19 lead.
However, Ohio State responded with an 11-0 run, culminating in a 3-pointer by Battle. Although Simpson interrupted the streak with a jumper, making the score 30-22, Thornton followed with two 3-pointers, extending Ohio State’s lead to 36-24.
— Field Level Media
