Bruce Thornton’s dominant first half kept Ohio State close, and despite trailing for all but three minutes, the Buckeyes remained within striking distance late in the game, cutting the deficit to three with just over a minute remaining. However, 13th-ranked Illinois used their size and balanced attack to withstand every Ohio State surge, pulling out an 88–80 road victory in Columbus. With the loss, Ohio State falls to 7–2 overall and 1–1 in Big Ten play, while Illinois improves to 8–2 and 1–0 in conference action.

The Buckeyes’ struggles at the free-throw line played a major role in the outcome, as they made just 15 of 21 attempts, while Illinois capitalized on nearly every opportunity, hitting 29 of 32. Ohio State shot 46% overall, including 9-of-28 from three-point range (1-of-10 in the second half), while Illinois shot 44% and 11-of-27 from deep. Turnovers were limited for both teams, with Ohio State committing six and Illinois nine, but the Buckeyes held a slight edge in points off miscues, 10–8. Ohio State also outscored Illinois 34–24 in the paint, but the lack of bench production—just two points compared to 15 from Illinois’ subs—proved costly.

Thornton led the way with 34 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Devin Royal added 15, while Christoph Tilly and John Mobley contributed 13 and 11, respectively. Illinois was paced by Keaton Wagler with 23 points, David Mirkovic with 22, Andrej Stojakovic with 17, and Zvonimir Ivisic with 13. Ultimately, Ohio State fought hard but came up short, unable to overcome the Illini’s depth, efficiency, and size.

1^st Half

Ohio State struck first when Christoph Tilly snagged an offensive rebound and finished at the rim. After Illinois briefly pulled even, Bruce Thornton put the Buckeyes back on top with a three from the right point. The Illini responded with six straight heading into the first media timeout, taking an 8–5 lead. Their run stretched to 8–0 before Thornton halted the surge with a triple from the right wing. Illinois quickly countered from deep, but Tilly buried two at the stripe to trim the deficit to three. The Illini then sandwiched a Tilly spin-move finish in the paint with a short jumper and another three. Thornton again answered from beyond the arc, but Illinois fired back with a pair of threes of their own, extending the lead to 24–15 at the under-12 timeout.

Out of the break, Ohio State executed a baseline inbound to the corner, where Thornton drilled another three. Moments later, he picked the Illini’s pocket and scored in transition, trimming the deficit to four. But the Buckeyes gave it right back with a mid-court turnover that led to an easy Illinois layup, pushing the lead back to six. The Illini added another bucket before a pair of free throws from Devin Royal helped settle things momentarily. After forcing a turnover, Thornton knocked down a turnaround jumper along the left baseline, but Illinois converted through contact just ahead of the under-8 media timeout, widening the gap to 30–24.

Out of the timeout, Illinois knocked down the free throw to complete the three-point play and push the lead to seven. Ohio State responded as Tilly spun in the middle of the lane for a strong finish, and following a defensive stop, Thornton buried yet another three from the left wing to cut it to two. After a pair of Illini free throws, Thornton attacked to the right side of the lane and scored off the window. The Buckeyes then surged in front briefly when Thornton drained his sixth triple of the half, but the 10–2 run was halted when Illinois answered from deep to reclaim the lead. The Illini struck again from long range, and at the under-4 media timeout, Illinois held a 39–34 advantage.

Illinois went to the line out of the timeout and buried both free throws to extend their run to 8–0 and push the lead back to seven. The margin grew to ten before Devin Royal halted the surge with a three. John Mobley followed with a triple from the right wing to slice the deficit to four, but a pair of Illinois free throws slowed the Buckeye momentum. A couple of questionable whistles — the first an offensive foul, the second sending the Illini back to the stripe — resulted in two more makes with 5.3 seconds remaining. Ohio State executed a perfect press break in the closing moments, as Thornton raced into the frontcourt and found a cutting Royal for a lay-in just before the horn. At the break, Illinois held a 48–42 lead.

Ohio State shot 48% from the field in the opening half, including 8-of-18 from beyond the arc. But Illinois was red hot, connecting at a 54% clip, knocking down 7-of-14 from three, and converting all 11 of its free throw attempts. The Buckeyes went 4-of-5 at the stripe in comparison. For Ohio State, it was the Bruce Thornton show — he hit 9-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-7 from deep on his way to a game-high 24 points before the break. Christoph Tilly added eight, while Devin Royal chipped in seven. Illinois countered with three players in double figures at halftime, led by Keaton Wagler’s 14 points. David Mirkovic scored 11, and Zvonimir Ivisic added 10.

2^nd Half

Illinois opened the second half with a bucket to push the lead to eight, but Brandon Noel answered with a corner three and John Mobley followed with a 12-foot pull-up to cut the deficit to three. Mobley then banked in another short jumper from about ten feet, but an Illini triple halted the 7–0 Buckeye run and nudged the lead back to four. Amare Bynum countered with a leaning finish in the paint, and Ohio State pulled even when Thornton grabbed a defensive board and raced coast-to-coast for a lay-in. Illinois responded once more, converting a bucket through contact just ahead of the under-16 timeout, and the Illini held a 55–53 advantage.

The free throw following the timeout extended Illinois’ lead to three, but Brandon Noel quickly responded with a basket at the rim. Back-to-back Illini buckets then pushed the lead to 60–55 at the under-12 media timeout, as Ohio State’s offense had gone cold. Out of the timeout, Illinois added one more point by splitting a pair of free throws, while two free throws from Devin Royal and one from John Mobley cut the deficit back to three with just over 11 minutes remaining. The Illini answered with a three-pointer and two more free throws to halt the Buckeyes’ momentum. Royal followed with a jumper in the paint to slow Illinois’ run, and after an offensive foul returned possession to Ohio State, Thornton converted a short jumper in the paint to pull the Buckeyes within four. Following two uncharacteristic missed free throws from Mobley, Illinois hit two more to stall the Buckeye charge. Thornton then split the defense, drew a foul attacking the rim, and made both free throws to bring Ohio State a little closer. Illinois responded with two free throws of their own, and at the under-8 timeout, the Illini led 70–64.

Out of the timeout, Illinois split a pair of free throws, and Mobley answered with a pair of his own to keep the deficit at six with seven minutes remaining. Moments later, Tilly split another set of free throws, but Illinois responded with a basket to extend the lead. Tilly then converted a pass from Mobley for a finish off the glass. Two more Illinois free throws increased the margin, and at the final media timeout of the game, the Illini held a 75–68 advantage.

Mobley scored at the rim to trim the deficit to five, but an Illinois three-pointer with just under three minutes remaining quieted the crowd. Royal narrowed the gap to two possessions with a pair of free throws, but Illinois split a pair on the other end. Tilly was then fouled while grabbing a rebound and converted both free throws, cutting the deficit back to five at the two-minute mark, prompting an Ohio State timeout with the score at 79–74.

The Buckeyes secured a defensive stop after the timeout, and Royal muscled in a layup to cut the deficit to three, prompting an Illinois timeout with 1:09 remaining as the Illini held a 79–76 lead. Out of the break, Illinois hit a dagger three from the left wing that bounced off the front iron and fell through with 44.7 seconds left. After another timeout, Thornton turned the ball over out of bounds on the baseline, giving possession back to Illinois, who went to the line and made both free throws. Thornton raced down the floor for a layup, bringing Ohio State within six, but time was running out with 28.2 seconds remaining.

On the next possession, Illinois threw the inbounds pass away, giving the Buckeyes a chance, but a blocked shot—appearing to be a foul on replay—led to a Buckeye foul and free throws for Illinois, both of which dropped. After a missed desperation three from Ohio State, Illinois returned to the line and converted another pair. Thornton finished the game by taking the inbounds pass coast-to-coast for a layup, ending the scoring and sealing the Illinois victory.

Game Wrap

This game was more of a “nice to have” than a must-win, as a veteran and highly talented Illinois squad rolled into Columbus off a dominant win over the previous 13th-ranked Tennessee in Nashville. At home, Ohio State hoped to pull off the upset, and despite keeping the game close for much of the 40 minutes, they couldn’t get consistent production beyond Bruce Thornton, who almost single-handedly kept the Buckeyes competitive. Ohio State remained within one or two possessions for much of the second half, but lost offensive poise at critical stretches as Illinois answered every Buckeye surge with timely shots.

Silly fouls and missed opportunities at the free-throw line, combined with poor second-half shooting—including poor shot selection, taking contested or rushed attempts—prevented the Buckeyes from putting sustained pressure on Illinois. Ohio State is still navigating injuries to two key players, Christoph Tilly and John Mobley. Mobley struggled in particular with explosion in his shot, missing four of six free throws and making just four of 11 from the field as he continues to fight through a lingering ankle issue.

As the season progresses, the hope is that both players regain health and approach 100% very soon, which will be critical as the Buckeyes face a tough stretch of major-conference opponents. Up next is a talented West Virginia team in Cleveland, followed by a trip to Atlanta for the CBS Sports Classic against 14th-ranked North Carolina, before returning to non-conference play to close out the calendar year.

Ohio State gets back in action on Saturday night at Rocket Arena in Cleveland taking on West Virginia at 8 PM with television coverage on ESPNU.

-Jason Harris