It looked like the Ohio State basketball team was going to get run out of the gym early against Illinois in Champaign, but the Buckeyes fought back and trail by just one point, 37-36, at halftime.
Kyle Young has been the star of the first half for OSU. He finished with 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field. He also pulled down five rebounds to help Ohio State hang in there on the boards, down just 16 to the Illini’s 18. A reportedly ailing E.J. Liddell, along with Malaki Branham have also had good halves, with eight and ten points respectively.
Illinois looked like it was going to take control of the game midway through the first half, but then got called for a flagrant 1 that seemed to turn the momentum of the game back around. Ohio State went on a run and the rest of the half was played within seven points all the way to the buzzer.
If there’s a trouble spot on defense, it’s been from beyond the arc. While the Buckeyes have paid a lot of attention to Kofi Cockburn in the post, sharp-shooter Alfonso Plummer has been able to fill it up from deep. He has a whopping 18 points on 6-of-7 from 3-point range and has been able to wiggle free while OSU has held Cockburn to just nine points on 4-of-12 shooting.
Hold tight. Down 1️⃣ at the break#Team123 pic.twitter.com/KJ1nmX965k
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 25, 2022
Despite the nip and tuck score at the break, Ohio State has yet to lead in the game. Illinois has led by as much as 13 points, but it’s the final tally on the scoreboard through the second half that will matter the most.
Let’s hope OSU can build on what it did through the second part of the half and find a way to steal this one on the road.
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