Penn State men rally but can't overcome No. 16 Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio — E.J. Liddell scored 19 points, and No. 16 Ohio State defeated Penn State, 61-56, on Sunday.

Ohio State (11-4, 5-2 Big Ten) won despite shooting just 38.6% overall and going the final 5 minutes, 7 seconds without a basket.

“I didn’t think that Penn State would go away,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. “They have a strong will about them.”

The Nittany Lions (8-7, 3-4) trimmed multiple 10-point deficits in the second half and pulled within four with seven seconds to go.

Seth Lundy, Penn State’s leading scorer with an average of 14.1 points, missed his first game of the season. The school announced earlier in the day he was out but didn’t give a reason.

“We missed him,” Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “We’re going to fight whether he’s with us or whether he’s without us. But we want him with us.”

Ohio State’s Kyle Young forced a steal with 1:25 remaining and sank a pair of free throws 20 seconds later to hold off the Nittany Lions. Jamari Wheeler made four foul shots in the final minute.

“It was the play of the game,” Holtmann said of Young’s steal. “It was the difference in a lot of ways.”

The Buckeyes went 24 for 36 from the foul line, and Penn State was 8 for 14.

Zed Key added 10 points for Ohio State.

Sam Sessoms led the Nittany Lions with 15 points, and Jalen Pickett scored 11.

“We weren’t as disciplined as we usually are,” Shrewsberry said. “If you want to win on the road against a ranked team, you have to be disciplined, and we weren’t.”

Ohio State outrebounded Penn State, 37-30, and recorded five blocks to the Nittany Lions’ four. Justin Ahrens tied his career high with seven rebounds.

The Buckeyes’ defense allowed their lowest field-goal percentage since the 22-day layoff that saw three games canceled due to covid-19 concerns within the program.

“The biggest thing we got to be able to do is continue to grow in our defensive effort,” Holtmann said. “This was a good step.”

Ohio State swept the season series against Penn State for the second straight year after defeating the Nittany Lions, 76-64, on Dec. 5.

Wheeler, who transferred from Penn State after last season, scored nine points in both games against his former team.

“It was special getting the win,” Wheeler said. “We brought the brooms out today.”