The Buckeyes will now take on the winner of this afternoon’s game between Villanova and Delaware on Sunday.
Ohio State advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time under head coach Chris Holtmann with a 54-41 win over Loyola Chicago on Friday afternoon.
The Buckeyes were led offensively by junior forward E.J. Liddell, who scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, while freshman guard Malaki Branham pitched in 14 as the only other player in double figures.
The Ramblers, meanwhile, shot 27 percent from the field, 29 percent from behind the arc and 30 percent from the line, becoming the first team in NCAA Tournament history to shoot 30 percent or less in all three categories.
Additionally, fifth-year senior guard Lucas Williamson – the Missouri Valley Conference defensive player of the year – finished with just four points, well below his season average of 14.0 points per game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After missing the last three games with a concussion, fifth-year senior forward Kyle Young got the start for the Buckeyes.
- Ramblers senior forward Chris Knight got the scoring started with a layup just under two minutes into the game.
- While Ohio State started the game 0-for-4 from the field, Princeton transfer Ryan Schwieger knocked down a three from the top of the key to give Loyola Chicago a 5-2 lead.
- Young made the Buckeyes’ first shot of the game on a wide-open dunk just over four minutes into the contest. He then split a pair of free throws on the next possession.
- Sophomore forward Zed Key made his first appearance of the game at the 14:47 mark after missing three of the last four games with an ankle injury.
- Ohio State took its first lead of the game when sophomore guard Eugene Brown III knocked a jumper to make it 7-5.
- Loyola ended a four-minute scoring drought with a layup from fifth-year senior guard Tate Hall to tie the game, but Young responded with a layup on the other end to keep the lead at two.
- The Ramblers nearly went another four minutes before tying the game on a layup by senior forward Aher Uguak, while Schwieger’s layup on the next possession put them ahead 11-9.
- Branham got in on the scoring, knocking down back-to-back jumpers to give Ohio State a 13-11 lead. He followed that up with a steal and a dunk.
- Liddell was fouled and added his third and fourth free throws of the game.
- Junior guard Braden Norris – a Hilliard, Ohio, native – ended an 8-0 Ohio State scoring run with a corner three-pointer, but Branham made a dunk at the other end to give the Buckeyes a 19-14 lead at the under four timeout.
- Following a Liddell block at the Buckeye, Key powered in a layup to extend the lead to seven, while Branham hit a pair of free throws to make it 23-14.
- Williamson finally got on the board with a free throw with 2:03 left in the half.
- Key turned the ball over for the third time in the half, leading to a Norris three-pointer at the other end to cut the lead to 23-18 at intermission.
- On the opening possession of the second half, Young was called for an offensive foul on a moving screen. That was one of three combined turnovers in the first 36 seconds of play.
- Liddell hit back-to-back jumpers, matching his point total from the first half, while Young knocked down a jump hook to push the Buckeyes ahead by 11, their largest lead of the game.
- After a scrum near the basket, an offensive rebound leads to a three-pointer from Norris to cut the lead to 29-21. Young followed that up with a tough layup at the other end, putting him at nine points on the afternoon.
- Freshman guard Meechie Johnson hit a deep three-pointer, Ohio State’s first of the game, to push the lead to 36-23 with 13:41 left.
- Williamson finally got into the action with a long three-pointer from the top of the key, his first bucket of the game. He was 0-of-6 from the field before that.
- Hall got the Ramblers back within single digits with a long jumper from the corner as the Buckeyes were in the midst of a two-plus minute scoring drought. It was later changed to a three-pointer.
- Branham picked up his fourth foul on a charge with 6:56 remaining, forcing him to the bench. He returned to the court a few minutes later, converting a layup to push the lead to 14 with 4:11 left in the contest.
- Norris hit a corner three-pointer to cut the lead back to single digits with 2:19 to go, but Branham was fouled on the other end and knocked down both free throws to push it back to 11.
With the win, Ohio State advances to the second round for the third time under head coach Chris Holtmann. It was notably the Buckeyes’ first NCAA Tournament win when scoring less than 60 points since 1961, when they knocked off Louisville, 56-55, on their way to an appearance in the national championship game.
Ohio State will take on the winner of this afternoon's game between No. 2 seed Villanova and No. 15 seed Delaware on Sunday. Tipoff of that game, which will also take place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, will be announced later today.
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