CJ Jackson finished with 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds for the Buckeyes, and Keita Bates-Diop added 10 points and eight rebounds despite a poor shooting night. Bates-Diop entered the game as the Big Ten's leading scorer at 20.3 points per game, but he shot just 4 of 12 from the field.
Ohio State (16-4, 7-0 Big Ten) built a 33-25 halftime lead after a poor shooting half for Northwestern. The Wildcats hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the game but missed their next 11 attempts, shooting 22 percent from behind the arc in the first half.
Northwestern (11-9, 2-5) utilized a 2-3 zone defense for much of the game, but the Buckeyes were mostly unfazed, recording 11 assists on 14 made field goals in the second half. Ohio State dominated the glass, outrebounding Northwestern 38-25, and got 22 points from bench contributors compared to the Wildcats' 10.
Vic Law led Northwestern with 14 points, and Scottie Lindsey added 13 points. Dererk Pardon had seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Wildcats.
Northwestern was without sophomore forward Aaron Falzon, who sat out due to an undisclosed injury. Gavin Skelly started in his place, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting despite being limited in the second half due to foul trouble.
A 10-3 run in the final three minutes gave Northwestern a chance after Ohio State led by as many as 15 points in the second half. Lindsey hit his first and only 3-pointer of the game with 43 seconds remaining to make it a one-possession game, but Jackson converted 3 of 4 free-throw attempts and secured a rebound off his own miss to seal it.
--Field Level Media
Ohio St. | Northwestern | |
Micah Potter 13 | Scoring | Vic Law 14 |
C.J. Jackson 8 | Assists | Bryant McIntosh 5 |
Keita Bates-Diop 8 | Rebounds | Dererk Pardon 10 |
C.J. Jackson 5 | Free Throws Made | Anthony Gaines 2 |
C.J. Jackson 3 | Steals | Anthony Gaines 3 |
Keita Bates-Diop 1 | Blocks | Dererk Pardon 4 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Ohio St. | 71 | 47.3 | 6-17 | 13-17 | 17 | 36 | 3 | 7 | 12 |
Northwestern | 65 | 44.8 | 8-27 | 5-10 | 19 | 24 | 6 | 5 | 10 |