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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.