No. 17 Ohio State recovers to down Illinois

[February 05, 2018]  Keita Bates-Diop scored a career-high 35 points and grabbed 13 rebounds Sunday as No. 17 Ohio State overcame a 15-point first-half deficit to subdue Illinois 75-67 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Jae'Sean Tate added 11 for the Buckeyes (20-5, 11-1 conference), who moved within a game of first-place Purdue in the Big Ten. Ohio State travels to play the Boilermakers on Wednesday night.

Kaleb Wesson contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Buckeyes, including a putback with 48 seconds left to make it a five-point game. It was fitting that rebounding played a role in a crucial late bucket, because Ohio State dominated the Fighting Illini on the glass 45-22.

Mark Alstork paced Illinois (12-12, 2-9) with 19 points and freshman Trent Frazier added 12 -- all after halftime. But the Fighting Illini couldn't overcome their large disadvantage on the glass, as well as 40.4 percent field-goal shooting.

The Buckeyes took the lead for good on a layup by Wesson with 3:39 remaining, making it 65-63. That occurred in the middle of a 10-0 burst that C.J. Jackson capped with a driving layup at the 1:50 mark for a 70-63 advantage.

Illinois dominated the first 10 minutes, scoring at will and using pressure defense to knock Ohio State off-balance. It reeled off 11 straight points in a 2:39 span to grab a 28-13 advantage at the 10:51 mark on two free throws by Alstork.

 

Ohio State Buckeyes guard C.J. Jackson (3) fights for the tough shot over Illinois Fighting Illini forward Greg Eboigbodin (11) during the first half at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

When Kipper Nichols converted a jumper with 10:11 remaining, the Fighting Illini led 30-15. Amazingly, those were their last points of the half. The Buckeyes rattled off 19 consecutive points to close out the half, taking the lead at the 3:12 mark on a layup by Andre Wesson.

Bates-Diop finished the half with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting and also added six rebounds.

Ohio State canned 46 percent of its field-goal attempts and also reaped a major advantage at the free-throw line. Ohio State was 26-of-33, while Illinois made 12 of 17 attempts.

-- Field Level Media

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