On Friday night, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (13-9, 3-8) lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes (13-9, 5-6), 79-77.
The Buckeyes came into the game hoping to snap a 15-game road losing run. They went 2-6 in January and haven’t won an away game since January 1, 2023, against Northwestern. Iowa also came into this game wanting to right the ship, having dropped three of its last four games after winning three straight to begin conference play.
The Hawkeyes, like most Iowa teams, entered this game ranked No. 18 on KenPom in offensive efficiency and No. 117 in defense efficiency. The Hawkeyes are second in the conference in scoring (84.4 points per game), trailing only Purdue and one of three conference teams to average more than 80 points per game (Purdue, Illinois).
Prior to this game, the two teams had an 84-84 series record.
Iowa entered this game led by a three-headed scoring monster, all of whom scored 15 points or more per game. Tony Perkins averages 15.5 points per game, while Ben Krikke and Peyton Sandfort average 15.0 points.
Owen Freeman scores 10.9 points per game and grabs 6.0 rebounds per game. Perkins is averaging 4.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Krikke and Sandfort each average 5.0 and 6.9 rebounds per game, respectively.
Ohio State’s sophomore guard Bruce Thornton leads the team in scoring with an average of 15.7 points, 4.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. Minnesota transfer Jamison Battle averages 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
This season, Battle has the top three-point shooting percentage in the Big Ten, at 44 percent. Roddy Gayle currently averages 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
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Scotty Middleton, a freshman forward, missed the game due to a lower leg injury and was wearing a boot during warmups. In 19 games this season, Middleton has averaged 4.3 points and 1.5 rebounds while playing 16.6 minutes per game.
As usual, the Hawkeyes got out to a fast start, making seven of their first nine strokes and gaining an early lead. Both sides alternated on offense due to a combination of good offense and poor defense.
Devin Royal and Bowen Hardman provided valuable minutes off the bench in the first half, giving the Buckeyes an advantage. Ohio State led 38-36 at halftime. The Buckeyes are 11-2 this season while leading at halftime.
Felix Okpara had one of the greatest halves of his Buckeye career, with 10 points and three rebounds. Roddy Gayle and Devin Royal each contributed eight points.
Payton Sandfort led Iowa with nine points, while Tony Perkins contributed eight.
In the first half, Ohio State went 16 for 32 from the field and 3-for-6 from three-point range, while Iowa went 15 for 28 from the field and 2-for-6 from three.
To begin the second half, both teams traded offensive possessions, but Iowa’s early 5-0 run gave them a 51-48 lead at the under-16 media timeout. In the opening 25 minutes of the game, Iowa outscored Ohio State 15-0 on fastbreak points.
Dale Bonner hit a three-pointer, and Devin Royal converted one free throw, giving the Buckeyes a 52-51 advantage with 12 minutes left in the game.
Roddy Gayle made two free throws to give the Buckeyes a 54-51 lead, but a 7-0 Iowa surge put the Hawkeyes up 58-54 with 10 minutes left in the game.
The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes swapped baskets for another five minutes, and Jamison Battle’s offensive rebound and putback cut Iowa’s lead to two points, 65-63. Josh Dix hit a mid-range jumper to give Iowa a 67-63 edge. Jamison Battle added two more free throws to reduce the deficit to two points during the under-four-minute timeout.
Two Tony Perkins free throws for Iowa gave the Hawkeyes a 73-69 lead with two minutes left in the game, but Battle responded with a bucket for Ohio State.
With Iowa leading 74-73, Roddy Gayle recorded a tie-up, giving Ohio State possession of the ball. During that attacking possession, the Buckeyes committed a double dribble and turned the ball over. Patrick McCaffery proceeded to the free throw line and converted both, giving Iowa a 76-73 lead with 21 seconds left.
Bruce Thornton went to the free throw line for the Buckeyes and made both. With 11 seconds remaining, Ohio State was forced to foul Patrick McCaffery again, and he made both. Ohio State lost 79-77 after Dale Bonner split free throws.
Jamison Battle led Ohio State’s scoring with 17 points.
Iowa’s Tony Perkins scored 20 points, with Peyton Sandfort adding 15.
Here are some key takeaways and storylines from the contest:
A “Royal” start resulted in eight points on 4-for-5 shooting in the first 15 minutes of the game. Royal entered this game averaging 2.9 points in 7.4 minutes per game, with a career high of 11 points versus Central Michigan earlier this season on 4-for-5 shooting in 11 minutes.
Hot shooting in the first half.
In the first half, Ohio State went 16 for 32 from the field and 3-for-6 from three-point range, while Iowa went 15 for 28 from the field and 2-for-6 from three. The Buckeyes started 3-for-3 from behind the three-point line, but they missed their last three three-pointers of the half.
Okpara offers a boost
Felix Okpara averages 6.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocked shots per game. Okpara finished with 10 points and three rebounds on 4-for-5 shooting and made an early impact in the paint, capitalizing on Iowa’s lack of size.
It takes a village!
Everyone contributed for the Buckeyes in this game, with five Buckeyes scoring nine or more points, including four of the five starters and Devin Royal off the bench. Evan Mahaffey also scored six points.
