A strong start to the second half helped surging Ohio State to a 84-61 victory over reeling Michigan in Big Ten play at Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday.
The Buckeyes (18-12, 8-11 Big Ten) expanded a five-point halftime lead with a 10-0 run to make 42-27 in the first 2:55 of the second half.
Ohio State leading scorer Bruce Thornton (16.2 average) returned from missing the game against Nebraska on Thursday because of a migraine to pump in a team-high 17 points as the Buckeyes moved to 4-1 under interim coach Jake Diebler since the firing of Chris Holtmann on Feb. 14 after he lost nine of 11.
Roddy Gayle Jr. added 15 points and Zed Key scored nine, including a thunderous dunk for the first points of the game to set the tone.
Michigan (8-22, 3-16 Big Ten) has lost seven straight overall and eight consecutive road games.
Dug McDaniel had 19 points and Terrance Williams II 13 for the Wolverines, who are 1-12 since downing Ohio State 73-65 on Jan. 15 and have lost 17 of the past 19.
Any hopes of Michigan mounting a comeback were erased when the Buckeyes ran off 14 unanswered points to go ahead 76-51 with 3:42 left to avenge three straight losses in the rivalry.
The Wolverines might have felt fortunate to trail only 32-27 at the half after needing nearly four minutes to get their first points. They never led and faced an eight-point deficit but managed to whittle the deficit with help from the Buckeyes, who were 1 of 6 (16.7 percent) on 3-pointers.
It’s been a trying season for the Wolverines. Olivier Nkamhoua averaged 14.8 points before undergoing season-ending wrist surgery on Feb. 20. McDaniel was suspended for six road games by the school until returning for the 82-52 loss at Rutgers on Thursday.
As a nod to the Buckeyes’ home finale, senior walk-on Owen Spencer from Cincinnati, who had not played in a game this season, was in the starting lineup. He played the first 63 seconds without scoring until being substituted. He returned to miss two shots in the final minutes.
The regular season ends for both on March 10 as Michigan hosts Nebraska while Ohio State plays at Rutgers.
–Field Level Media