Rutgers Loses To Ohio State 80-73 In a Crucial Road Win For the Buckeyes

Rutgers was a difficult opponent for the Ohio State men’s basketball team. With the 80-73 win over Rutgers for Ohio State, Bruce Thornton, the Ohio State star guard, scored 20 points for the Buckeyes in the crucial road win.

This game was close the entire time, and after struggling with Rutgers, fans need to wonder if the Buckeyes are good enough to make the NCAA tournament. Led by Thornton against Rutgers, who also had a game-high 10 rebounds, there is no telling what the Buckeyes will do. He is precisely the type of senior guard who leads teams to tournament glory. What do you think is the ceiling for the Buckeyes?

Rutgers Hosts Ohio State Summary

Thornton led the team with 20 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. However, he had a strong supporting cast. Devin Royal finished with 16 points and 4 assists, while John Mobley Jr. scored 12 with 4 assists for the Buckeyes. It is relatively easy to pile up assists with a scoring threat like Thornton.

As far as a scoring summary from the game goes. In the first half, Ohio State and Rutgers started level at 8 apiece, but the Scarlet Knights pulled away to lead 41-37 at halftime. Rutgers hit three consecutive three-pointers to take the lead, and Ohio State’s leading scorer, Thorton, had a slow start. Key to the first half barrage was Tariq Francis, who had 7 points in 71 seconds.

The second half was a different story for the Buckeyes. They started the half on a 21-7 run, and Ohio State had a 6-1 rebounding advantage. Early in the second half, Ohio State scored on 14 consecutive possessions with 15:57 left in the game, taking a 47-46 lead. The Buckeyes extended their lead to 55-47. They went on a 32-8 run to turn the tide of the game. Thornton left the game and came back in. Ohio State won the game 80-73.

News and Notes

• Thornton made 8 of 13 shots against Rutgers with two three-pointers for the Buckeyes. Ohio State is now 10-3 overall, and 2-1 in the Big Ten Conference. In the all-time Ohio State scoring race, Thornton moved three points ahead of Jay Burson. Burson, who scored 1,756 points from 1985-89. Jim Jackson (1989-92) is next with 1,785 points.
• Thornton hit a go-ahead three-pointer to put the Buckeyes up 67-65, but after grabbing an offensive rebound and running up the court, he went down hard and had to sub out of the game. However, he came back in the game.
• Francis had 17 points to lead the Scarlet Knights. They fell to 7-7 overall. They are now 0-3 in the Big Ten Conference.
• Dylan Grant scored 14 points for Rutgers.
• Brandon Noel came off the Ohio State bench to score fourteen points. He was aided by John Mobley Jr., an Ohio State starter, who had 12 points for the Buckeyes.
• The assists were also close, with Ohio State holding a narrow 15-14 advantage.

Parting Thoughts

This was a good win for the Buckeyes over Rutgers. It is important to get road wins in conference play. In this win over the Scarlet Nights, Ohio State was led by Senior Guard Bruce Thornton. Things get much harder for Ohio State in the next game. They host the undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers on Monday at 6:30 pm.