Kaleb Wesson had 23 points, 12 rebounds and three assists and Ohio State won its third straight game by squeaking past Michigan 61-58 at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Tuesday.
Duane Washington Jr. contributed 17 points, and Kyle Young added 12 points and five rebounds for the Buckeyes (15-7, 5-6 Big Ten).
Zavier Simpson led Michigan (13-9, 4-7) with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Austin Davis scored 11 points off the bench, and Franz Wagner added eight points and a career-high 14 rebounds. The Wolverines were limited to 33.3 percent shooting.
Wesson reached the 15-point mark by halftime as Ohio State led 28-27 at the break.
Neither team scored during the first two minutes of the second half. Wagner ended the drought with a 3-pointer.
A layup by Young with 9:22 left gave the Buckeyes a two-point lead. Simpson answered with a corner three.
Ohio State responded, and when Young made another layup off a Wesson feed, Ohio State had a 46-42 lead. It didn't last long, as Simpson knocked down a three, then made a fast-break layup off a Jon Teske steal.
Davis' putback with 5:36 remaining gave Michigan a 49-46 advantage.
Ohio State regained the lead, but another Davis putback tied it at 51-all. Davis then scored off a Simpson feed, but Wesson powered for a three-point play.
Eli Brooks drained a corner three off a Simpson kick-out pass to put Michigan on top 56-54. Washington made one from the top of the key with an assist from Wesson as the Buckeyes regained the lead with 54 seconds left.
With 33 seconds remaining, Young fouled Simpson on a layup attempt, but Simpson was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for grabbing Young's jersey on the play.
Both players made their free throws, leaving Ohio State on top. CJ Walker hit two more free throws for a three-point Buckeyes advantage with 17 seconds left. Brooks missed a potential tying 3-pointer in the final second.
Ohio State led by as many as nine in the first half, but neither side led by more than four after the break.
--Field Level Media
Ohio St. | Michigan | |
Kaleb Wesson 23 | Scoring | Zavier Simpson 15 |
CJ Walker 5 | Assists | Zavier Simpson 5 |
Kaleb Wesson 12 | Rebounds | Franz Wagner 14 |
CJ Walker 2 | Free Throws Made | Austin Davis 3 |
Kaleb Wesson 2 | Steals | Zavier Simpson 1 |
E.J. Liddell 2 | Blocks | Colin Castleton 1 |