Ohio State Rallies for 71-63 Win Over Northwestern
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jaquan Lyle led five Ohio State players in double-figures as the Buckeyes rallied to beat Northwestern 71-63 on Tuesday night.
Keita Bates-Diop had six of his 11 points for Ohio State during a 15-2 run that swung the game in the Buckeyes' favor midway through the second half.
Lyle, who scored four points during the Buckeyes' go-ahead spurt, finished with 16 and Marc Loving had 15 for Ohio State. Trevor Thompson added 12 and Jae'Sean Tate had 10 for the Buckeyes (15-10, 7-5).
Tre Demps and Bryant McIntosh scored 14 points apiece, Alex Olah had 11 and Scottie Lindsey added 10 for Northwestern.
The Wildcats (16-9, 4-8) led for most of the first 35 minutes but wilted under an aggressive Ohio State press in the second half.
Ohio State snapped a two-game losing streak while Northwestern lost for the sixth time in its last seven games.
The Wildcats were up 48-39 following Olah's jumper at the 10:27 mark.
Tate started the decisive run with a layup and Bates-Diop finished it with a jumper and a pair of free throws that put the Buckeyes on top 54-50 with five minutes left.
Lindsey tied the game at 56 with a 3-pointer a little more than a minute later, but Lyle answered with his own trey to put the Buckeyes up for good.
Ohio State went 10 for 10 from the free-throw line in the last 1:01 to close out the game.
TIP-INS
Northwestern: Ohio native Gavin Skelly had seven rebounds for the Wildcats.
Ohio State: Lyle and Thompson returned to the starting lineup at point guard and center, respectively, after A.J. Harris and Daniel Giddens started in their place for the previous four games.
UP NEXT
Northwestern plays host to Illinois on Saturday night.
Ohio State plays at Rutgers on Saturday afternoon.
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