Ohio

Pitt's Zack Austin Sinks Buckeyes With Overtime Buzzer-Beater, 91-90

Published

1 year ago

November 29, 2024

Pitt's Zack Austin Sinks Buckeyes With Overtime Buzzer-Beater, 91-90

Ohio State suffered its second loss of the 2024-25 season in heartbreaking fashion.

In Ohio State’s first overtime game of the season, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Pitt forward Zack Austin lofted the Panthers (7-1) over Ohio State (5-2), 91-90, in overtime.

Ohio State led for the majority of the game and nearly all of overtime, but blew a 12-point lead in the second half before allowing Pitt to score six of the last seven points of the extra period.

TEAM	1	2	OT	FINAL
PITTSBURGH	39	38	14	91
OHIO STATE	48	29	13	90

Guard Jaland Lowe led the way for Pitt, racking up 28 points for a game-high. Fellow guard Ishmael Leggett added 21 points while Austin picked up 16.

Bruce Thornton collected 24 points and nine assists in the loss, both team-highs. Devin Royal and Micah Parrish followed with 18 and 15 points, respectively.

First Half

It took nearly eight minutes for either team to take a two-score lead in the Schottenstein Center.

Meechie Johnson Jr. collected eight points in that time, including two well-contested 3-pointers, one from the right corner and one from the left wing. The second of those triples made it 19-13 Ohio State with 12:07 to play in the first half.

Pitt had a clear size advantage from the opening tip, especially as the Buckeyes were forced to start a small-ball lineup without regular starting center Aaron Bradshaw, who remains out amid a university investigation. Sean Stewart opened the game at center but picked up two fouls and took a seat on the bench just 6:30 into the game.

Austin Parks came in at center and made a bit of noise. He hit a clean reverse layup off an up-and-under then slammed home a feed from John Mobley Jr. after the sharpshooting freshman drew a perimeter double team. Mobley showed why he deserved that double-team on Ohio State’s next possession by canning a 3-pointer with his feet planted inside the Buckeyes’ half-court logo.

Thornton hit a mid-range jumper to cap a 7-0 run and Ohio State led 28-18. Royal collected six points and Mobley hit a left-corner 3 to help sustain the lead for a while before a pair of Leggett layups cut the edge to six. A Thornton three from the top of the key helped the Buckeyes carry a 48-39 advantage into halftime.

Bradshaw’s absence and Stewart’s foul trouble forced the Buckeyes to opt for a lot of three-guard lineups in the first half but it proved beneficial to their passing and shooting. Ohio State went 6-of-9 from 3-point range and collected 12 assists on 20 made shots.

Second Half

OHIO STATE	STAT	PITT
90	POINTS	91
30-58 (51.7%)	FGM-FGA (PCT.)	30-67 (44.8%)
11-20 (55%)	3PM-3PA (PCT.)	8-24 (33.3%)
19-29 (65.5%)	FTM-FTA (PCT.)	23-30 (76.7%)
11	TURNOVERS	11
29	TOTAL REBOUNDS	36
8	OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS	16
21	DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS	20
17	BENCH POINTS	31
2	BLOCKS	2
5	STEALS	5
20	ASSISTS	10

Stewart opened the second half with a 3-point play and combined with Thornton to get a massive pop from a decently crowded arena on an alley-oop flush. Ohio State led 57-46. Then the Buckeyes came crashing back to earth.

Turnovers mounted as the Buckeyes tried and failed on several more alley-oop attempts. Ohio State missed five straight field goals and went more than seven minutes without scoring, giving the ball away six times in that span.

Meanwhile, Pitt’s offense kept humming, especially Leggett, who quickly made a pair of 3-point plays both the old-fashioned way and with a shot from beyond the arc. The latter play gave the Panthers their first lead since they were up 9-7 in the first half, and the run kept going with a 3-point play from forward Amadou Kante. Another layup from Leggett capped the scoring streak at 15-0 and Pitt led 61-57 with 10:53 remaining.

Parrish brought the crowd back into things with a four-point play as he was fouled by Leggett at the top of the key as he splashed a 3-pointer. Mahaffey slammed back a miss to give the Buckeyes the lead back. Zack Austin hit a triple for the Panthers, but Thornton responded with a three of his own to make it a 67-66 Buckeye edge with 5:28 to play.

Up 68-67, Parrish drained a nasty step-back 3-pointer from the right wing. Royal extended the lead to 73-68 on a pair of free throws. Pitt cut it to 73-72 but Parrish was ready with another triple.

But Austin splashed a catch-and-shoot trey of his own before Lowe equalized the contest 77-77 with 33 seconds left. Thornton missed a potential game-winner and the two squads went to overtime.

Overtime

Thornton opened overtime with a bang, pulling up for a quick triple while running full speed to his left. Two free throws from Royal gave Ohio State an early two-score lead in the extra period, 82-78.

Kante fouled out for the Panthers and Thornton sank two more at the charity stripe to set the margin at 84-80. Then Leggett fouled out and Thornton hit two more. But Lowe kept Pitt around. He scored eight consecutive points for the Panthers to make it a one-point game, 89-88. After Royal made just one free throw on Ohio State’s next possession, Austin hit a three with Parrish’s hand in his face to win the game for Pitt.

PITT WINS IT IN COLUMBUS! ZACK AUSTIN THE HERO FOR THE PANTHERS! @Pitt_MBB pic.twitter.com/2e1Tiy4mEk
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 29, 2024

What’s Next?

Ohio State plays its first Big Ten game of the 2024-25 season when it travels to College Park to face Maryland on Wednesday. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

Game Notes

Ohio State’s loss was the first overtime game of the Jake Diebler era.
Friday marked the 26th all-time meeting between Pitt and Ohio State in men’s basketball, with Pitt now leading the series 16-10.
Freshman forward Colin White was out with an injury against the Panthers and was seen wearing a walking boot.
Royal got dinged up multiple times, once coming up favoring his ankle and another time his hamstring, but re-entered the contest on both occasions.

Source link

Ohio

No. 9 Penn State men’s lacrosse stays perfect in Big Ten play, beats No. 6 Ohio State on the road

Published

12 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

No. 9 Penn State men’s lacrosse stays perfect in Big Ten play, beats No. 6 Ohio State on the road

No. 9 Penn State traveled to Columbus, Ohio, at 4 p.m. on Saturday to face No. 6 Ohio State in Week 2 of Big Ten action.The Nittany Lions’ strong first half propelled them to a 13-6 victory over the Buckeyes. Penn State’s record improved to 6-3 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten, currently 4-1 against ranked opponents this season.First halfThe Nittany Lions opened the game with early momentum, forcing a turnover on the first possession before Michael Faraone put Penn State on the scoreboard with his team’s first shot of the game. After goalie Preston Hawkins made a save, Liam Matthews scored a behind-the-back goal while falling in front of Caleb Fyock’s crease to take a 2-0 lead.Hawkins made 10 saves on 16 shots for a .625 save percentage in the victory, carrying momentum from his breakout performance against Maryland.Penn State continued its dominance on both sides of the ball, causing turnovers leading to a 4-0 lead before Ohio State took its first timeout. First, John Jude Considine fired a shot from close range with 7:39 remaining in the quarter before Jack Iannantuono struck the back of the net on a diving shot.The Buckeyes cut Penn State’s lead to three, capitalizing as the Nittany Lions attempted a 10-man ride. With Hawkins out of the crease, defenseman Kyle Foster launched a shot from Ohio State’s end into the open goal.Matthews answered immediately, assisted by Luke Walstrum. Walstrum’s pass found the Orangeville, Ontario, native at the top of the box and his side-arm shot didn’t miss.At the two-minute mark, the Buckeyes scored their first offensive goal of the game. Alex Marinier caught Liam White on the left side, who beat Hawkins’ stick to set the score, 5-2, heading into the second quarter.Marinier started the second quarter on the right foot, scoring less than a minute into play. His shot from mid-range trickled past Hawkins, who got a piece of the ball but wasn’t able to make the save.However, Chase Robertson responded with a solo effort from the top of the box to reclaim the three-goal lead. He dodged past a pair of Buckeye defenders and beat Fyock just under the crossbar.Lucca DiBartolomeo played a key role in Iannantuono’s second goal of the game, forcing a turnover with a heavy stick check in Ohio State territory after a failed transition attempt. On the following possession, Iannantuono ripped a shot from the left side past Fyock to take a 7-3 lead with 9:50 left in the half.Ohio State’s defense settled in with Fyock making big saves, allowing for transition opportunities on Penn State’s end. However, the Buckeyes repeatedly made errors in clearing or going offside. Dominic Shaw took a cross-checking penalty, giving Kyle Lehman the space to score on the man-up for an 8-3 lead at halftime.Second halfGarrett Haas scored the first goal of the second half, rounding the crease before bouncing the ball past Hawkins less than two minutes into the third quarter. Hawkins, however, responded with consecutive saves on dangerous chances on the doorstep as Penn State struggled to clear.Then, the fireworks began. First, Mark Watters shot through heavy coverage to take a 9-4 lead at the eight-minute mark before Jake Cohen answered 21 seconds later.On the following faceoff, Jon King cut to the net through traffic and was stripped of the ball. But Fyock was unable to scoop the rolling ball that dribbled past the goal line.With 5:01 left in the third quarter, Faraone scored his second of the game on the right wing with a heavy side-arm shot that nearly clipped Fyock’s stick.Robertson carried the momentum in the dying moments of the quarter, giving the Nittany Lions a 12-5 lead going into the final frame. Hawkins maintained that score, making a series of desperation saves with time winding down to stop the Buckeyes’ advance.To start the fourth quarter, Ohio State elected to replace Fyock with junior Jack Allen after the starter’s seven saves on 19 shots. Allen made three saves on four shots in one quarter of action.Walstrum struck first, scoring a wraparound with a defender’s stick lodged under his chinstrap. Immediately afterwards, Jack Oldman ran down the center of the box, beating Hawkins high to respond.Scoring noticeably dropped off for the remainder of the game as both teams placed lock-down defense, forcing shot-clock violations despite multiple penalties. One last save from Hawkins iced the game, and Penn State moved to 2-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2019.Injury ReportAttackman Hunter Aquino and midfielder Patrick Carragher weren’t dressed in the line-up.Up NextPenn State will travel to Baltimore, Maryland, to face Johns Hopkins at noon on Saturday.MORE LACROSSE COVERAGE

Penn State notebook | Men’s lacrosse coach Jeff Tambroni talks UNC loss, upcoming Ohio State matchup

Penn State is trying to build momentum as it has entered Big Ten play. The squad has won thr…

Submit a Letter to the Editor

If you’re interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.
Submit

Send Letter to the Editor

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
googletag.display(‘ad-1563088’);

});

Source link

Ohio

Math plan would help a generation of Ohio students | Opinion

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Math plan would help a generation of Ohio students | Opinion

Aaron Churchill
| Guest Columnist

Aaron Churchill is the Ohio research director for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education policy think tank based in Columbus.

In November, the Ohio Senate unanimously passed math reforms that would help a generation of struggling students. House lawmakers should send that excellent package known as Senate Bill 19 to the governor’s desk post haste.

Math difficulties start early for many Ohio students. Last year, 45,000 third graders, or 36% statewide, fell short of proficiency on the state math exam. These youngsters had difficulty solving basic arithmetic and measurement problems. Without such skills, big trouble lies ahead for them.

Meanwhile, even larger percentages of high schoolers fare poorly in this subject. On last year’s algebra I state exam, 53,000 students – 41% of test takers – did not achieve proficiency, while a staggering 72,000 students (57%) fell short in geometry.

These failure rates are unacceptable. Students should not be left to struggle with the routine math needed to manage their personal finances, bake a cake or do a home repair. Nor should they lack the critical thinking, data interpretation and problem solving skills that are demanded by today’s employers and essential to career success.

Ohio must help more students gain fluency in math. Senate Bill 19 does this in the following ways.

First, it supports students with math deficiencies. The bill would require schools to provide math interventions to students scoring at the lowest achievement level (known as “limited”) on state tests. Importantly, schools must engage a child’s parents to create an individual improvement plan that outlines the interventions and how progress will be monitored.

Second, the bill promotes strong math curricula. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce would be tasked with reviewing math materials and establishing a high-quality list. With dozens of programs and textbooks on the market – some far better than others – this vetting process would aid school districts in finding the best curriculum for their students.

Third, it asks colleges of education to better prepare elementary teachers. Research from the National Council on Teacher Quality shows that teacher training programs often lack serious math content, especially in the elementary grades, leaving teachers ill-prepared for effective instruction. To help address the problem, the bill mandates that prospective educators pass the math section of the state licensure test to teach the subject, something that is not presently required.

Fourth, it gives high-achieving math students a boost. Traditional course placement practices rely on teacher and parent referrals, which tend to overlook economically disadvantaged students who excel in math. Yet, as a recent Fordham Institute study found, access to advanced coursework is critical to high-achieving, low-income students’ college prospects. Through automatic enrollment provisions, Senate Bill 19 would ensure that all high achievers are placed in challenging math courses, including algebra I in eighth grade.

Some may view Senate Bill 19 as burdensome on schools. But the need for significant improvement in math is urgent and the reforms are commonsense. Students struggling in math ought to get help. Schools should use the best-available textbooks and materials. Teachers should know math before they teach it. Schools must push high achievers to reach their full potential.

Math and reading are the academic pillars that support students’ long-term success as well as the state’s economic growth. Thanks to the leadership of Gov. Mike DeWine, Ohio’s Science of Reading initiative is off to a strong start and promises stronger literacy statewide. It’s now time for policymakers to roll up their sleeves and help students get better at math. Their futures – and the state’s – are at stake.

Aaron Churchill is the Ohio research director for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education policy think tank based in Columbus.

Source link

Ohio

Remains of Ohio airmen killed in Iraq will be brought back March 29

Published

2 days ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Remains of Ohio airmen killed in Iraq will be brought back March 29

The remains of three Ohio airmen who were killed in the crash of their KC-135 refueling plane in Iraq earlier this month will be returned this weekend, according to a family member of one of the deceased.

The airmen, identified as Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, of Wilmington, and Capt. Seth Koval, 38, of Stoutsville, will be brought back March 29 to Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base near Columbus, said Charles Simmons, Tyler’s father.

“Tyler will have a hero’s welcome, because he is a hero,” said Charles.

The Columbus Division of Police will be involved in the funeral procession when the airmen’s remains are transferred from the airport to funeral homes, said Columbus police Sgt. James Fuqua. That will take place between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. March 29, said Fuqua.

The airmen’s remains first arrived back in the U.S. on March 18 with a dignified transfer taking place at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Curtis, Angst, and Simmons were members of the 166th Air Refueling Squadron connected to the 121st Air Refueling Wing based at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus.

The airmen, as well as three other servicemembers, died on March 12 when their KC-135 tanker crashed in western Iraq during a mission in support of Operation Epic Fury in Iran. The cause of the crash, which occurred in friendly airspace, has not been publicly identified. U.S. Central Command has said the incident did not involve hostile or friendly fire, and military experts have theorized the crash may have been the result of a collision with a second KC-135 that sustained heavy damage to its tail fin but landed safely at an airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.

Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.

Source link