By Danielle Daniels

3 26 2024

GAME NOTES

https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2023-24/georgia/boxscore/20232

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jamison Battle’s three-pointer with 1.3 seconds left was right on-line but ended up on the front rim and Ohio State’s season came to an end with a 79-77 setback to Georgia in the quarterfinals of the NIT.

The Buckeyes’ interesting up-and-down season finishes with a record of 22-14.

Battle was 4-of-9 from long range and finished with a game-high 22 points. He also led the Buckeyes with eight rebounds. Battle finishes his final season scoring 20 or more points in four of his last five games. He also went over 2,000 career points on Tuesday.

Sophomore point guard Bruce Thornton had another great game, notching his second career double-double with 13 points and a career-high tying 10 assists. He also pulled down five rebounds and had a steal. Over the final five games, all win or go home games, Thornton had 40 assists and just five turnovers.

Felix Okpara finished the season playing perhaps the best ball of his career. He finished with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks. He scored in double-figures in all three games of the NIT, the first such stretch of his career.

Roddy Gayle Jr. was the fourth Buckeye in double figures with 11 points to go with his four assists. Devin Royal, Dale Bonner and Zed Key all finished with five points.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw the lead change hands nine times and saw the Bulldogs take a slim 36-35 lead into the break. Georgia then raced out of the locker room and pushed the lead out to 60-47 with 12 minutes to play.

The Buckeyes responded with a little 6-0 run to cut into the lead but Noah Thomasson hit a free throw and then a big three-point shot on the next possession to give the Bulldogs another 11-point lead with under 10 minutes to play. But that’s when the Buckeyes got cooking.

Ohio State went on a 17-0 run over the next five minutes to open-up a 70-64 lead. Battle and Bonner both had a three-pointer and a dunk during the spurt and Battle would cap the run with his fourth three of the night. But give Georgia credit as the Bulldogs stood strong amid the crowd and hit back-to-back three-pointers to once again tie the game with 3:30 to go.

Trailing by three with 19 seconds to play, Thornton split a pair at the line, but the Buckeyes were able to corral the loose ball rebound. After a missed three-pointer by Thornton, the ball went out of bounds off a Bulldog and the Buckeyes had one final chance with 1.3 rebounds. Battle’s three was right there, but like many of the Buckeyes’ attempts on Tuesday, would not go in.

COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS