After leading by double digits in the second half, Ohio State (17-14, 9-11 Big Ten) managed a meager 11 points in the final nine minutes and closed the game 2-of-15 from the field to fall 66-60 to Indiana (19-12, 10-10). The Buckeyes didn’t make a field goal in the final 5:55 of game time.

The loss leaves Ohio State likely needing multiple wins in the Big Ten Tournament for an NCAA Tournament berth. It also blundered the Buckeyes’ shot at a first-round bye in the conference tourney, which they would have secured with a win in Assembly Hall.

Guard Trey Galloway and forward Malik Reneau led the way for Indiana, scoring 16 points each for the Hoosiers. The offensive glass and free-throw line were big advantages for them, with 14 offensive rebounds to Ohio State’s eight and 23 made free throws to the Buckeyes’ 10.

Leading scorer and star point guard Bruce Thornton struggled for Ohio State, as did star shooting guard John Mobley Jr. The duo scored just nine and seven points, respectively, and shot a combined 5-of-21 from the field with five turnovers.

Guard Micah Parrish and forward Devin Royal were the Buckeyes’ biggest bright spots with 19 and 13 points.

First Half

The intensity in Assembly Hall was palpable for a battle of postseason ambitions on Indiana’s Senior Day, the last home game for head coach Mike Woodson. That anxiety manifested in a lot of missed shots before a packed house in the opening minutes.

Combined, the two teams missed 18 of their first 25 shots, and the game entered the under-12 media timeout tied at just 9-9.

As Indiana went four minutes and 40 seconds without scoring, it was fifth-year senior guard Ques Glover who gave Ohio State a spark off the bench. He buried a pair of crafty midrange jumpers to spark a 6-0 run, building a quick 15-9 advantage for the Buckeyes.

Royal answered an Indiana triple, its first of the game, with a three-point play, before the Hoosiers collected a pair of layups. But Mobley started heating up with a deep stepback midrange J, then followed with a second-chance triple. Parrish hit a long triple in the waning seconds of a shot clock, and suddenly, Ohio State led 26-17.

Aaron Bradshaw buried one from distance as Indiana worked back into the contest, getting two floaters from Galloway and two second-chance free throws from Indiana guard Luke Goode that cut the edge to 29-25. The Buckeyes failed to score in the final 2:21 of the half and that scoreline held into the locker room.

Indiana shot just 31% to Ohio State’s 46.2% in the first half but collected eight offensive rebounds for eight second-chance points that kept the margins close.

Second Half

Parrish set the tone for the Buckeyes at the start of the second period.

Two 3-pointers and a fastbreak layup yielded him eight of Ohio State’s first 10 points, pushing their lead out to 39-32. More defense yielded more offense for the Buckeyes, with two steals leading to transition opportunities, the latter of which handed Glover an open layup to extend the advantage to 43-34 as Woodson called a timeout.

Royal added a 3-pointer to make it a 10-point ballgame, but the Hoosiers had an answer with a quick layup and a second-chance Galloway triple. Thornton responded with just his second field goal of the game, a left-wing 3, but two layups cut the lead to four and an offensive foul by Mobley brought the Assembly Hall crowd to its feet.

That foul got upgraded to a flagrant-1, Parrish was whistled for a foul on the ensuing in-bonds and two Goode free throws tied the contest at 49. Two free throws from forward Malik Reneau gave Indiana its first lead of the second half, 51-50.

A Royal floater and four free throws built a 6-0 run for Ohio State but Galloway hit nothing but net on another 3-pointer to halt the momentum and make it 56-54 Buckeyes. Two Reneau free throws renewed the tie at 56-56.

As Ohio State chose the worst time to go more than three minutes without scoring, Reneau hit two more from the charity stripe to go up 58-56 with less than three minutes to play.

A Galloway trey from the next county over gave Indiana a 61-56 lead with under 90 seconds remaining. The Buckeyes couldn’t muster a single make from the field in response and fell 66-60.

What’s Next

Ohio State will play in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 10 seed on Wednesday. Its opponent for that game, the 15 seed in the tourney, is to be determined.

Game Notes

• Ohio State fell to 84-112 against Indiana all-time.
• Devin Royal missed Ohio State’s first game against Indiana earlier this season with a wrist injury.
• Indiana center Oumar Ballo’s mother flew to Assembly Hall from the African country of Mali to see her son play a collegiate game for the first time.