ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Freshman point guard Bruce Thornton scored a career-high 22 points but Ohio State fell on Sunday afternoon at Michigan 77-69.

The Buckeyes are 11-12 overall on the year and 3-9 in conference play.

Thornton was 10-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-3 from long range to finish with his 22 points. This game was needed for the Alpharetta, Ga., native’s confidence as he had scored just 23 points over the last six games combined.

Brice Sensabaugh and Justice Sueing both finished with 14 points. Sensabaugh pulled-down a team-high nine rebounds.

A 7-0 Michigan run midway through the opening half opened-up a 24-14 lead. The Buckeyes clawed back behind nine points from Thornton to cut the lead to three and would only trail 41-36 at the break. A Sensabaugh three-pointer in transition brought the Buckeyes within 50-47 early in the second half. Michigan then responded with a 6-0 run and the lead remained around 10 the rest of the way.

Up Next

The Buckeyes return home for a pair of games next week, beginning with a matchup against Northwestern on Thursday night. Tip is set for 8 p.m. on FS1. Ohio State won the first meeting this season with the Wildcats, 73-57 on Jan. 1 in Evanston.

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COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS