Huskers fall short in 65-62 OT loss to Ohio State
In a game that could have done wonders for Nebraska’s postseason hopes, the Huskers simply couldn’t make enough plays when they had to the most.
Despite NU rallying from an 11-point second half deficit to take a two-point lead in the final minute of regulation, Ohio State was able to come up with one answer after another down the stretch to pull out a 65-62 victory in overtime on Saturday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
With the game tied at 56-56 at the end of he second half, Ohio State’s JaQuan Lyle - who was held scoreless in the first half and still managed to finish with a game-high 19 points - scored the Buckeyes’ final six points in overtime. Nebraska, on the other hand, didn’t score for the final 1:29 and missed two 3-pointers in the final seconds to seal the defeat.
The Huskers ended up shooting a season-low 27.1 percent (19-70) from the field, 25.7 percent (9-35) from 3-point range, and 65.2 percent (15-23) from the free throw line. The 35 attempts from beyond the arc were a season-high and just two off the school record set against Kansas back on Feb. 24, 2002.
The loss dropped NU to 14-14 overall and 6-9 in Big Ten play, making a potential NIT bid even more difficult with just three regular season games remaining.
“You have to credit Ohio State, but to me, it’s just a game of lost opportunities," head coach Tim Miles said. "There just seemed like there were so many different opportunities for us to sustain a run… We’d have the ball with a chance to tie or go ahead at the end of regulation and at the end of overtime, and didn’t get it done.”
Offense definitely came at a premium in the first half, as Nebraska and Ohio State combined to miss their first eight shots from the field and didn’t score the game’s first points until a jumper by junior Andrew White more than three minutes in.
The Buckeyes especially struggled to put the ball through the hoop, making just one of their first 11 shots of the night while committing five turnovers to help NU take an early 8-2 lead. But OSU would finally get some shots to fall after that, putting together a 13-2 run of its own to go up 15-11 on a 3-pointer by Jae’Sean Tate with 5:14 left in the half.
A 3-pointer by White, who started just 1-of-7 from the field and 0-of-4 from beyond the arc, and an And-1 finish by freshman Glynn Watson rallied the Huskers back and sent them into halftime with a 22-21 advantage. The teams shot a combined 28.3 percent (17-60) with 14 total turnovers in the game’s first 20 minutes.
“(White) is a tremendous player," OSU head coach Thad Matta said. "It’s funny, he hit the first three, right in front of our bench and we kind of lit in to Keita (Bates-Diop), you know like, 'Hey, this kid is averaging about thirty points a game here the last few games.' I thought Keita did a tremendous job just in terms of keeping him in front and challenging shots.”
While Nebraska continued to struggle offensively to open the second half, Ohio State finally started to get rolling and went on an 8-0 run to take the biggest lead to that point at 41-30 after 11 straight points from Lyle.
Just when it looked like OSU was set to run away with a blowout win, freshman Jack McVeigh and Watson knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers and fellow freshman Michael Jacobson added an And-1 to cut an 11-point deficit down to 43-39 with 7:43 remaining in the game.
A pair of free throws by Benny Parker with 5:21 to go got it to 47-45, and then White made two more to make it a 50-49 game with just over three minutes to play.
White continued his late spark by hitting one of the biggest shots of the game with a 3-pointer to give NU a 56-54 lead with 54.2 remaining on the clock. Webster was called for a foul on Tate with just nine seconds left, and Tate made both his free throws to tie it up. Watson was unable to get a shot off in the final seconds, sending the game into overtime.
A basket by Watson and then a steal and layup by Parker gave Nebraska a 62-60 lead with 1:29 left in overtime, but those would be the last points NU would score the rest of the way. Lyle continued to have his way with the Huskers’ defense, scoring six of Ohio State’s eight points in the extra period, including the game-tying and game-winning baskets in the final minute.
"We showed a lot of fight, which was good," Miles said, "but ultimately we did just enough to lose."
McVeigh ended with a team-high 16 points, while White had 14 points and seven rebounds despite his cold start. Along with Lyle’s 19 points, Keita Bates-Diop scored 16 and Marc Loving and Tate both added 15, marking the only OSU players to score in the game.
"This is a painful loss," "If you don't feel this at the depth of your soul - as a player, as a coach - you're not a competitor."
Nebraska will return to action on Thursday for a road game at Penn State that will have major implications in keeping the Huskers out of the bottom four of the Big Ten standings and out of first day of action at the conference tournament with the 11-14 seeds. Tip-off in State College, Pa., is set for 6 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU.
Around the rim
***Miles was called for a technical foul for arguing a foul call in the first half, marking his second technical in as many games and his third in the past six games. Miles didn't dispute whether he earned his latest T, though.
“I said enough (to earn it)," Miles said. "I mean, I earned it. I just didn’t think that things were equal.”
***Miles said senior Shavon Shields, who missed his fourth straight game while recovering from a concussion, practiced with the team "a bit" on Friday and was evaluating whether he could return during the pre-game shoot around. Shields ended up deciding not to rush his comeback, but Miles said they think Thursday's game at Penn State is "a more likely" goal Shields' his return.