Ohio State’s longtime star guard delivered another signature performance in his team’s uphill climb against No. 13 Illinois on Tuesday. Thornton racked up 34 points on 13-of-17 shooting, his second 30-point performance of the season. But he was still just a man. The Fighting Illini had a flight of well-coordinated, sharp-shooting soldiers.

Illinois (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten) led the final 16 minutes of its 88-80 win over Ohio State (8-2, 1-1), keeping the Buckeyes at arm’s length most of the way despite only twice leading by double-digits.

Four Illini reached double-figures. Freshman guard Keaton Wagler paced the squad with 23 points, trailed closely by fellow guard Andrej Stojakovic (17 points) and forward David Mirkovic (22 points). Center Zvonimir Ivisic added 13 points.

Devin Royal, Christoph Tilly and John Mobley Jr. all hit double figures for Ohio State to join Thornton, but did so at the cost of a combined 12-of-36 shooting (33.3%) and 2-of-16 from 3 (12.5%). Tilly fouled out of the game in the final minute.

First Half

Bruce Thornton and Christoph Tilly worked to keep Ohio State afloat in the early stretches.

Thornton drained a trio of triples, stepping into two in transition, including a contested look at least seven feet beyond the arc. Tilly opened the game’s scoring with an offensive rebound he stuck back, then showcased a nice arsenal of dribble moves and spins to attack the basket, drawing a foul once and making a layup another time.

But the Illinois shooters were orange hot. The Illini drained four consecutive 3-point attempts, three from Mirkovic and one from Ivisic, to charge ahead 24-15. Thornton answered with a corner 3 off an inbounds pass and a steal for a coast-to-coast layup, then the Illini strung together four points to push their lead back to eight.

Thornton remained undeterred. He rose above a strong contest for a baseline jumper, pump-faked an Illinois defender to make him fly by to drain another 3-pointer. Then he flew past a defender for a transition layup and canned another triple from the left wing to give Ohio State its first lead in more than 11 minutes at 34-33.

Chants of “Bruce” rang about the Schottenstein Center as the crowd got to its loudest volume of the night, rising to get their star senior a standing ovation. Thornton scored 24 points in the first half and started 9-of-9 shooting, including a 6-of-6 mark from distance.

The momentum didn’t maintain. Illinois launched an 11-0 run capped by a circus 3-pointer from Wagler and carried a 48-42 lead into halftime, though Devin Royal beat the buzzer to get the deficit back to six for Ohio State.

Second Half

Thornton finally got a bit of sustained scoring support to start the second half. Brandon Noel made a 3-pointer, and John Mobley Jr. connected on two floaters in the lane before freshman forward Amare Bynum got on the board with a nice drive and finish. A gorgeous double-clutch layup by Thornton tied the ballgame at 53. 

The Buckeyes went 3:17 without changing the number in their score column as Illinois pushed back ahead 61-56. Tilly picked up his fourth foul during the stretch, impacting Ohio State’s lineup, in a game laden with foul calls. A Wagler 3-pointer and two Ivisic free throws extended the Illini edge to 66-58.

Fouls piled up on both sides. Exchanges of free throws kept the margin relatively the same as both teams were in the double bonus midway through the period. Illinois proved far more efficient at that game, however. A spin into a floater by Stojakovic pushed the Illinois lead back to three scores again with under six minutes to play.

It bounced back and forth between a two- and three-score lead several more times for the Illini, each reextension feeling like a tiny dagger plunged into the Buckeyes’ collective heart. 

Ohio State went to a full-court press in the final two minutes and chipped the lead back down to a single score on a layup by Devin Royal, which made it 79-76 with less than 75 seconds remaining. But a friendly bounce – for Illinois, that is – on a 3-pointer by Ivisic stuck one final dagger in at 82-76 with 45 seconds to play.

What’s Next?

Ohio State plays the first of back-to-back neutral-site games with power-conference opponents, taking on West Virginia in Cleveland on Saturday. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.

Game Notes

• The Buckeyes held a “Teddy Bear Toss” at halftime, with fans throwing stuffed animals onto the court to donate to children through the Ronald McDonald House.
• Illinois shot 7-of-14 (50%) from 3 in the first half.
• The contest featured 48 total personal fouls called between the two teams.
• Ohio State is now 77-110 all-time against Illinois.

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Sharon Dumas had been retired for more than three years when Cleveland Heights’ Interim Mayor Tony Cuda tapped her this fall to be his interim city administrator.

The move followed a familiar solution that public entities turn to when facing challenges: bringing back experienced public servants with decades of institutional knowledge.

Dumas, who retired from Cleveland City Hall in 2022 after more than 40 years in public and private service, agreed to return through the end of Cuda’s interim term, which runs until Dec. 31. Her appointment was Cuda’s first official act after voters recalled Mayor Kahlil Seren in September.

The move comes as Cleveland Heights continues to navigate its transition to a strong-mayor form of government, marked by a contentious 2024 budget process and temporary spending plans earlier this year. Cuda said his priority is stabilizing operations and laying groundwork for a fiscally responsible 2026 budget.

Dumas brings deep experience in municipal finance and administration. She served as Cleveland’s finance director for 15 years and as chief of staff for five years under former Mayor Frank Jackson, managing the city’s $1.3 billion budget and overseeing major fiscal reforms.

Her return reflects a broader trend in Northeast Ohio: veteran leaders stepping back into public roles or consulting after retirement. Just a handful of examples include:

• Ken Silliman, former chief of staff to Cleveland mayors Michael White and Frank Jackson, later led the Gateway Economic Development Corp. and authored a book on stadium financing.
• Eric Gordon, who spent 12 years as CEO of Cleveland schools, now heads Positive Education Program after a stint at Cuyahoga Community College.
• Dan Horrigan, Akron’s former mayor, briefly served as Cleveland Heights city administrator earlier this year before resigning amid internal conflict.
• Jay Westbrook, a longtime Cleveland council member, works with Western Reserve Land Conservancy on housing stability and neighborhood revitalization.
• Lee Fisher, former Ohio attorney general and lieutenant governor under Gov. Ted Strickland, left Cleveland State University’s law school to become president of Baldwin Wallace University in July.
• Ronald Adrine, who served 36 years on Cleveland Municipal Court, remains active in justice reform through statewide committees and advocacy groups.

Dumas’ appointment underscores Cleveland Heights’ reliance on institutional knowledge as it seeks to restore trust and stabilize operations ahead of a pivotal election year.