Buckeyes Stunned In OT By Florida Atlantic
Trevor Thompson’s two free throws at the end of regulation tied the game up at 71, temporarily delaying an embarrassing loss for the Buckeyes at home. Florida Atlantic’s Nick Rutherford hit a tough jumper with a second left in overtime to give the Owls the stunning win in Value City Arena.
The loss is the second in three games for the Buckeyes, who started the season off 6-0.
From the early minutes, it was clear that Florida Atlantic had come to Columbus with intentions of leaving with a win.
Jailyn Ingram’s jumper four minutes into the opening half gave the Owls a 13-5 lead. The Buckeyes battled back to even up the score, and the teams traded baskets until the Buckeyes opened up a seven-point lead with six minutes left in the half.
A pair of free throws by Jeantal Cylla brought the Owls within a single point as the two teams headed to the break.
Ohio State led by as many as 11 in the second half, but the lead was short lived.
Rutherford’s bucket with 5:53 in the game capped off a 14-0 run for Florida Atlantic, giving them a 61-58 lead.
After Trevor Thompson’s free throws tied the game up in the final seconds, Florida Atlantic had an opportunity to win the game. Instead, Ingram dribbled the ball off his foot, turning the ball over and giving Ohio State the chance to win it.
JaQuan Lyle tried to force a shot in the lane, but it was well defended, sending the game into an extra period.
The overtime period was indicative of how the entire game transpired. Ohio State took a four-point lead with under three minutes left to play.
However, the Buckeyes were unable to hold onto it, setting up Rutherford’s game winner.
Ohio State shot an abysmal 4-20 from three point land, a whopping 20 percent. Florida Atlantic, on the other hand, got a nice boost from their outside shooters, shooting 40 percent from deep.
The loss is troubling for a team that was left out of the tournament last year in large part because of their terrible non-conference losses last season.
After playing some of their best basketball of the season at times last week at Virginia, they have posted back-to-back lackluster performances. This time, it cost them, and might continue to haunt them as the season progresses and wins become even harder to come by.
Things will not get any easier in the immediate future either. Ohio State’s next two contests come against marquee programs in Connecticut and UCLA.
Tipoff against UCONN is set for 6pm on Saturday.
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