Penn State Shocks Ohio State in Columbus
A nail biter in Columbus gave the Nittany Lions their first win against the Buckeyes in over 15 years. Penn State defeated Ohio State 71-70 for the first time since 1998, in a thrilling overtime matchup, and were led by standout guard D.J. Newbill.
Tim Frazier started his 100th game in a Penn State uniform, as he and Nittany Lions, snapped an 18-game losing streak against the Buckeyes.
Despite snapping a four-game losing streak last Thursday against Illinois, the Buckeyes were missing the momentum early on in the first half. Penn State took the lead quickly and slowed the offense down, as they began to gain confidence.
The Nittany Lions’ defense did a good job holding off the Buckeyes, forcing them to miss shots in the game’s first minutes. The Nittany Lions easily rattled the Ohio State offense, causing two Buckeye timeouts with over 12 minutes left in the half.
The Buckeyes were able to calm their nerves and pick up the intensity following their first two timeouts. Ohio State quickly closed the gap and took the lead away from the Nittany Lions. The Buckeyes scored seven points after forcing four Penn State turnovers, whereas the Nittany Lions struggled to capitalize on mistakes. Ohio State tallied three turnovers in the first half, but Penn State was unable to score on any of them.
The Buckeyes led Penn State 35-31 at the half.
Despite the collapse in the final minutes of the half, the Nittany Lions put on a solid performance shooting 54% from the field against a top-ranked offense. Brandon Taylor had 11 first half points and D.J. Newbill was not far behind him with eight.
Fouls continued to pose a problem for the Nittany Lions, as they tallied three team fouls in the first five minutes. Pat Chambers quickly replaced forward Donovon Jack, following his two fouls in the first two minutes. Jack finished the first half sitting out with a total of three fouls, and Chambers stared Jordan Dickerson in the second half a result.
Both teams came out hot, keeping the game close early on in the second half. Jordan Dickerson replaced Jack to start the half and tallied three blocks in the first four minutes.
Ohio State took the lead midway in the half, causing the Nittany Lions to trail for a remainder of the game. With seven minutes left in play, the Buckeyes lead Penn State by 11 points. The Nittany Lion’s started to rally and tied the game 62-62 with just over a minute left in play.
With 40 seconds left to go, the Nittany Lions entered a zone defense, but Ohio State guard, Aaron Craft made a shot and gave the Buckeyes the lead 64-62.
Following Craft’s shot, interference was called on the Buckeyes, however Tim Frazier went on to miss both free throw shots.
Lenzelle’s Smith’s free throw gave Ohio State the lead 65-62 with 20 seconds left in play. Newbill came through with a three-point shot and tied the game with 11 seconds to go.
Newbill’s triple forced overtime in Columbus.
The overtime score continued to switch as the five-minute matchup went on. Ohio State took the lead 70-67 with just over a minute left to play. Newbill was the hero for the Nittany Lions, making the score 70-69 with under 30 seconds to go.
The Buckeyes went on to stall with 17 seconds left, but Newbill hit a pull up jumper with 1.9 seconds to go, giving the Nittany Lions the victory 71-70.
Newbill showed off a relentless performance with 25 points, including a game- winning shot that gave the Nittany Lions their second Big Ten victory of the season. Brandon Taylor added to the team’s thrilling performance, scoring 19 points.
Freshman, Graham Woodward got the start Wednesday night for the Nittany Lions, and scored two threes to start the game. Woodward’s six points in the game’s early minutes were equal to number of points he scored during the entire game against Michigan and Purdue. Woodward finished the game with 11 points.
Penn State’s win on the road against No. 24 Ohio State broke head coach, Thad Matta’s 17-0 record against the Nittany Lions. Penn State is now 11-10 overall and 2-6 in the conference.
The Nittany Lions will look to continue the streak against Purdue on Sunday, at home, at 11:30 a.m.
Maddie Brightman is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email mvb5601@psu.edu.
Photo Courtesy: (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
