Ohio State’s Big Ten opener was a successful one, as the Buckeyes snapped a three-game skid against Northwestern with a hard-fought 86–82 road win in Evanston, improving to 7–1 overall and 1–0 in conference play. After trailing by four at the break and falling behind by eight early in the second half, Ohio State surged ahead with a 16–7 run over a span of more than five minutes and never trailed again. The Buckeyes extended the lead to as many as eight before withstanding a late Northwestern push to secure a valuable league win away from home.
Brandon Noel delivered a career day, leading Ohio State with 29 points on 13 of 15 shooting and nine rebounds, while Bruce Thornton recorded his second straight double-double with 17 points and 10 assists. Amare Bynum added 11 points and five boards, and Devin Royal finished with 10 after heating up late. Northwestern countered with a monstrous performance from Nick Martinelli, who tied his career high with 32 points and added eight rebounds. Arrinten Page and Angelo Ciaravino contributed 14 and 13 points, respectively.
The Buckeyes shot a blistering 57% from the field — including 4 of 14 from deep — while holding the Wildcats to 48% overall and 8 of 24 from three. Although Northwestern won the rebounding battle, Ohio State neutralized much of the Wildcats’ offensive glass success after halftime. Continued ball movement was key, as the Buckeyes assisted on 24 of their 35 made field goals and dominated the interior with a commanding 62–38 edge in paint points.
1st Half
The game opened at a blistering pace. Ohio State struck first when John Mobley attacked off the dribble and finished at the rim. After Northwestern answered, Bruce Thornton knocked down a pull-up in the lane. A Wildcats three gave Northwestern its first lead, but Mobley split two free throws to tie it. On the next trip, Devin Royal tossed a lob to Brandon Noel, who sealed his man on the left block and scored off the glass.
Northwestern responded with six straight to go up four, but Royal halted the run with a Euro-step finish. A Wildcats tip-dunk stretched the lead again before Thornton quickly hit Christoph Tilly for a transition slam. Moments later, Thornton lobbed to Noel, who once again carved out strong post position for another bucket. At the first media timeout, Northwestern led 15–13.
Out of the break, Northwestern added four more—capitalizing on a Buckeye turnover—to extend the margin to six. Mobley answered with a three, and Noel’s putback trimmed the deficit to one. The Buckeyes kept rolling as Colin White spun on the right block for a go-ahead score. By the under-12 timeout, Ohio State had strung together a 7–0 run and taken a 20–19 lead.
Out of the timeout, two Northwestern free throws halted the Buckeyes’ surge and put the Wildcats back on top, but Amare Bynum answered with a three from the top of the arc to reclaim the lead for Ohio State. Colin White then jumped a passing lane and threw down a transition dunk to extend the margin. After an offensive foul gave the Buckeyes the ball again, Bynum drained a pull-up jumper to push the lead to six.
A Northwestern basket snapped the Buckeyes’ 9–0 run, but Mobley countered with a floater. The Wildcats responded with a 5–0 spurt to pull within one, only for Gabe Cupps to bury a left-wing three. Northwestern trimmed the deficit to two, but a Noel steal ignited a fast break, and he finished off a feed from Bynum at the glass. At the under-8 timeout, Ohio State led 34–30.
Ohio State pushed the lead to six when Brandon Noel tipped in a missed shot, and although Northwestern answered, Bruce Thornton grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup. Just before the final media timeout, the Wildcats converted through contact to trim the Buckeye advantage to 38–34 with 3:13 remaining in the first half.
Out of the timeout, Northwestern completed the three-point play to trim the margin to three, and after an Ohio State miss, the Wildcats drilled a left-wing three to pull even. A Thornton lob to Bynum for a dunk briefly restored the Buckeye lead, but Northwestern responded with back-to-back threes, prompting an Ohio State timeout with 17 seconds remaining and the Wildcats now ahead 44–40.
A questionable moving screen call, Tilly’s third foul of the game, gave Northwestern the ball with four seconds left, but a long entry pass was deflected and the half expired. After closing on a 12–2 run over the final 3:13, the Wildcats took a 44–40 lead into the break.
Despite shooting an impressive 58% from the field — including 3 of 9 from three — Ohio State still found itself trailing. The Buckeyes struggled to contain Northwestern on the other end, allowing the Wildcats to knock down 50% of their shots and 5 of 12 from beyond the arc. Northwestern, who entered the game last in the Big Ten in rebounding margin, also controlled the glass with a 17–12 edge, including eight offensive boards that fueled a 13–4 advantage in second-chance points. Nick Martinelli led the Wildcats with 18 points and six rebounds, while Brandon Noel paced the Buckeyes with 10 points and four boards.
2nd Half
Northwestern opened the half with a cutting dunk to match its largest lead, and a Buckeye miscue on the next defensive trip resulted in another slam, forcing Ohio State to regroup early. Bruce Thornton halted the surge with a runner, and moments later his steal sparked a long hit-ahead to Brandon Noel for a dunk, trimming the deficit back to four. The Wildcats responded with a bucket and two free throws to push the margin back to eight, but Thornton again kept the Buckeyes within reach with a short one-handed finish in the lane. Northwestern answered with yet another backdoor dunk, and at the under-16 media timeout, the Wildcats held a 54–46 advantage.
A Noel lob to Bynum resulted in a lay-in, but Northwestern capitalized on yet another offensive rebound to convert a second-chance three. Ohio State responded as Evan Cupps fed Noel inside for a strong finish through contact, and although his free throw was off the mark, Bynum secured the board to extend the possession. Thornton made it count, knocking down a short fadeaway to trim the deficit to five. The Wildcats answered once more, but Noel continued to battle, scoring again through contact before missing his second straight and-one opportunity. He quickly made up for it, blocking a shot on the defensive end, and Thornton attacked the paint on the ensuing possession, drawing a foul and sinking both free throws to pull within three. Northwestern knocked down a pair at the stripe to stretch the lead back to five, but Thornton got to the rim off the bounce for a layup, and at the under-12 media timeout, the Wildcats held a 61–58 advantage.
Out of the timeout, Royal found Noel in the paint, who powered in another two, bringing Ohio State within one. The Buckeyes then reclaimed the lead when Noel put the ball on the deck and finished high off the glass, prompting Northwestern to burn a timeout at the 10:17 mark with Ohio State in front, 62–61. A Bynum transition bucket off a Northwestern turnover extended the lead to three, capping a 19–7 Buckeye run over a span of more than six minutes. But the Wildcats answered, as an unlikely three from their center knotted the score once again, and the teams headed to the under-8 media timeout tied at 64.
The Buckeyes forced a turnover and Noel, trailing the transition opportunity, was fouled while going up for a dunk. He calmly knocked down both free throws to put Ohio State back in front. Following another stop, the Buckeyes pushed the pace again, and Thornton slipped a pass to a cutting Noel for two more. Northwestern responded with a bucket, but a two-handed shove in the back of Thornton was upgraded to a flagrant foul after review. Thornton split the free throws to stretch the lead, and although Ohio State retained possession, a Wildcat steal led to a potential runout—only for Cupps to sprint back and knock the ball out of bounds. After Diebler successfully challenged the play, the Buckeyes regained the ball, and Royal made it count with a short jumper in the lane to extend the advantage to five. At the final media timeout, Ohio State held a 71–66 lead.
Out of the timeout, Northwestern went to the free-throw line after a questionable blocking call just before the break, and both attempts fell to make it a one-possession game. Thornton then found Royal on the right block for a strong finish, but the Wildcats immediately countered on the other end. Noel attacked off the bounce and converted through contact, this time completing the three-point play to push the lead to six with just over three minutes remaining. Northwestern cut the margin in half with a timely three, but Royal’s drive and drop-off to Noel resulted in a dunk to stabilize the Buckeyes. The defense then delivered a stop, and Royal buried a corner three, forcing Northwestern to call timeout with 2:01 left and Ohio State leading 81–73.
Northwestern scored the next 4 forcing Ohio State to call a timeout with 1:05 to play and the lead sliced to 81-77. Royal grabbed an offensive rebound out of the timeout and was fouled attempting the put back where he split the pair. On the other end, Northwestern grabbed an offensive rebound and scored with 39 seconds to play and quickly called a timeout with the Buckeyes up 3. The Wildcats stole the inbounds pass and drew a foul where they hit the pair cutting it to just a one point lead. Thornton was fouled in the backcourt with 24 seconds to play. Thornton knocked down the pair to put Ohio State up three. A foul on the other end put Northwestern back on the line with just under 20 seconds left. A miss on the front end was rebounded by Tilly who was immediately fouled. Tilly split the pair and Northwestern raced up the floor where a three was missed and Tilly grabbed the rebound where he was fouled with 11.5 remaining. Tilly split the pair again and after a long three by Northwestern clanged off target, a foul on the rebound put the Cats on the stripe where they split the pair and the horn sounded in a big road win for the Buckeyes.
Game Wrap
This was a significant and much-needed win for Ohio State, coming on the heels of a tough road loss at Pitt. Still dealing with nagging injuries to Mobley and Tilly, the Buckeyes relied heavily on their depth — and the bench delivered. Bynum, Cupps, and White provided crucial minutes at both ends, helping quiet the home crowd and sustain momentum during key stretches.
Ohio State showed impressive poise in a building where many have faltered, especially after falling behind by eight early in the second half. But the leadership and toughness of this group came through. Thornton once again steadied the ship, Noel played like a veteran anchor, a tremendous bounce back game from the senior, and Royal’s increased efficiency on both ends played a major role in flipping the game.
With the schedule only getting tougher from here, securing a conference road win this early in the season is invaluable. With this one in their back pocket, the Buckeyes can return home with confidence and shift their focus to a major test on Tuesday night against Illinois inside the friendly confines of Value City Arena.
The Buckeyes get back on the hardwood on Tuesday evening, hosting 14th ranked Illinois at the Schott. Tip time is scheduled for 7:30 PM with coverage on Peacock.
-Jason Harris