Final
Ohio State rallies past Nebraska in Big Ten quarters
Mar 15, 2014 - 4:44 AM Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - The Buckeyes overcame an 18-point deficit, on the strength of a career-high 26 points from LaQuinton Ross as No. 24 Ohio State knocked off Nebraska, 71-67, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.Ross added 13 rebounds and Amedeo Della Valle had 12 points, six boards, and three blocks for the Buckeyes (25-8), who will face eighth-ranked Michigan in the semifinals on Saturday.
Aaron Craft chipped in six points, six boards and six assists in the win.
Terran Petteway scored 20 and Walter Pitchford netted 15 points for the Cornhuskers (19-12). Shavon Shields contributed 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in defeat.
Craft, Della Valle and Ross combined to lead a 15-6 run in the final 3:17 of the game to secure the victory. In the final 3 1/2 minutes, Della Valle collected his three blocks and scored seven, Craft netted four of his six points and Ross added four points.
"I'm very proud of these guys and the effort that they put forth," OSU head coach Thad Matta remarked. "They were thinking the game at a level down the stretch that we needed to be thinking the game all the way through."
Nebraska scored 17 of the first 19 points in the second half to stake themselves an 18-point advantage, but the Buckeyes began to utilize the fullcourt press at that point.
The defensive pressure stifled Nebraska and the Buckeyes used a 14-4 run to pull within 52-44 with 10 minutes remaining.
Trailing 61-56 with 3 1/2 minutes to go, Della Valle blocked back-to-back shots. It remained a five-point contest after Craft and Shields each made a pair of foul shots.
A 3-pointer from Della Valle with 2:50 left cut the gap to 63-61, and Ross connected on a pair from the charity stripe to tie the game.
"Well, unfortunately, I thought that we beat ourselves," Nebraska head coach Tim Miles said. "I know you have to credit Ohio State with their pressure late. The last 13 minutes they really did an excellent job of getting us rattled."
After missing a jumper, Petteway fouled out with 58 seconds remaining. Ross made two more free throws to give Ohio State the lead, which they carried to the finish.
Nebraska led at the half, 31-28, on the strength of shooting 5-for-13 from beyond the arc.
Game Notes
Nebraska shot 36.7 percent (22-for-60) from the floor and the Buckeyes made 45.5 percent (25-for-55) of their field goals ... Ohio State outrebounded the Cornhuskers 43-34 ... The teams split a pair of meetings during the regular season ... David Rivers added eight points and nine rebounds for the Cornhuskers ... OSU outscored Nebraska by a 36-14 margin inside the paint.
- OHIO STATE: 71
NEBRASKA: 67
Final
Mar 14 4:33 PM - 186
roots - 111
rootsRUWTbot Took away 25 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Ohio State(24) 58, Nebraska 63 2nd - 3:06Mar 14 4:20 PM - 136
rootsRUWTbot Took away 25 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Ohio State(24) 58, Nebraska 62 2nd - 3:06Mar 14 4:20 PM - 161
roots - 136
roots - 111
roots - 101
rootsRUWTbot Took away 55 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Ohio State(24) 56, Nebraska 61 2nd - 4:19Mar 14 4:14 PM - 156
roots - 102
roots - 56
rootsRUWTbot Took away 34 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Ohio State(24) 52, Nebraska 58 2nd - 5:59Mar 14 4:10 PM - 90
roots - 52
roots - OHIO STATE: 28
NEBRASKA: 31
Halftime
Mar 14 3:13 PM - OHIO STATE: 0
NEBRASKA: 0
1st Half - 20:00
Mar 14 2:28 PM
Related News
- Towns Bringing Home More Than Just Basketball Talent Jun 12
- Craft to Officially Retire this Summer Jun 11
- Columbus to Host 2020 TBT at Nationwide Arena Jun 11
- Spielman & Hooley: Chris Holtmann Joins the Show May 15
- Ohio State Could Face Interesting Games at Battle for Atlantis May 5
- Grading Chris Holtmann's Three Seasons at Ohio State Apr 16
- Holtmann's Regret Endures Over Missing NCAA Tournament Apr 14
- Ohio State Hoops Roster Complete With Abel Porter Transfer Apr 13
- Examining Ohio State's Hoops Transfers Case by Case Apr 8
- Are Ohio State's Basketball Transfers a Sign of Trouble? Apr 8
- Bucknell's Jimmy Sotos Transfers to Ohio State Apr 6
- Spielman & Hooley: Transfers a Routine Nuisance Apr 6