With a prime opportunity for a signature win, Ohio State — playing without second-leading scorer John Mobley — held a six-point lead midway through the second half but ultimately ran out of steam as Virginia closed the game on a 12–2 run to fend off the upset-minded Buckeyes, 70–66, in Nashville. Ohio State falls to 16-9, while Virginia improves to a stellar 22-3 record. Despite standout performances from Bruce Thornton and Amare Bynum, Virginia’s late surge proved too much, handing Ohio State a damaging defeat.

Ohio State shot 45% from the field and 6-of-14 from three while holding Virginia to 43% shooting and 6-of-18 from long range, but the disparity at the free-throw line told the story. Virginia drew 22 fouls and went to the stripe 32 times, converting 22, while the Buckeyes were whistled for just 12 fouls and attempted only nine free throws, making six. The Cavaliers also controlled the glass, 40–26, though Ohio State forced 12 turnovers that led to 16 points.

Thornton led all scorers with 28 points, while Bynum added 15 points and six rebounds. Christoph Tilly contributed 11 in the loss. Virginia was paced by Malik Thomas with 13 points, while Chance Mallory and Sam Lewis chipped in 12 apiece.

1^st Half

Ohio State struck first as Amare Bynum knocked down a three from the top of the key off an inside-out pass from Christoph Tilly. Virginia answered with the next four points, but Taison Chatman responded with a step-back jumper from 17 feet. Following a UVA turnover, Chatman set up Ivan Njegovan for an easy layup off the glass.

After a Cavalier offensive foul handed possession back to the Buckeyes, Chatman connected on a 15-foot baseline jumper. Another Virginia turnover then sparked a break, with Bruce Thornton finishing through contact at the rim. By the first media timeout, Ohio State had surged ahead to an early 11–4 advantage.

Out of the timeout, Thornton stepped to the line and finished the three-point play to extend the run. Virginia halted the 9–0 Buckeye surge with a pair of free throws, but Tilly responded by tipping in a Devin Royal miss. Thornton then buried a three to push the lead further before the Cavaliers countered with a 9–0 run of their own, trimming Ohio State’s advantage to 17–15 at the under-12 media timeout.

Tilly went to the line out of the break and knocked down both free throws to halt the Cavalier run. Virginia answered with a basket, but Bynum responded with a three to stretch the margin. After another Virginia score and two Bynum free throws, the Buckeyes maintained a five-point edge. A Cavalier bucket and a 17-footer from Royal traded possessions before Virginia connected from deep to cut the lead to two. Thornton answered with a runner in the lane, but Virginia came right back with a dunk, and by the under-8 media timeout Ohio State held a narrow 28–26 lead.

A Virginia three put the Cavaliers ahead briefly before Tilly answered with a three from the top to put Ohio State back in front. Two separate trips to the line resulted in 4 free throws to give the Cavaliers the lead and an additional bucket in the paint extended their lead and at the under 4, Virginia led 35-31.

Out of the media break, Virginia went to the line and split the pair, but Royal answered on the other end with a basket to snap the Cavaliers’ 7–0 run and end a Buckeye scoring drought that had stretched nearly five minutes. Ohio State pulled closer moments later when Royal fired an outlet pass ahead to Bynum, who raced down the floor for a dunk. The Buckeyes then reclaimed the lead on a short leaner from Thornton. Virginia drew even by splitting another trip to the line, closing the first-half scoring and sending the teams to the locker room tied at 37.

Despite watching an early 11-point advantage evaporate—largely due to an 11–2 Virginia surge—Ohio State closed the half on a 6–1 run to pull even at the break. The Buckeyes shot 45% from the field and 4-of-10 from three in the opening half, while Virginia connected on 44% of its attempts, including 3-of-9 from deep. Rebounding heavily favored the Cavaliers, 21–12, but Ohio State forced six turnovers that led to nine points. The Buckeyes also went 5-of-6 at the free-throw line, compared to Virginia’s 10-of-13.

Amare Bynum and Bruce Thornton paced all scorers with 10 points apiece, while Chance Mallory led Virginia with seven points off the bench.

2^nd Half

Ohio State opened the second half striking first as Thornton corralled a long rebound, went coast to coast, and finished off the glass. He couldn’t convert the and-one, but the Buckeye defense responded by forcing a Virginia turnover following a coach’s challenge that resulted in a review and gave the ball back to Ohio State. Thornton then used a crossover to create space and knocked down a pull-up in the paint to extend the lead.

Virginia got on the board for the first time in the half with a pair of free throws, and after an Ohio State miss, the Cavaliers took advantage—getting away with a push-off before knocking down a three to move back in front. The Buckeyes answered quickly, though, as Thornton hit a short jumper to reclaim the lead. Bynum then came up with a steal, picking a Cavalier’s pocket and going the other way for a layup. By the under-16 media timeout, Ohio State held a 45–42 advantage.

Virginia went to the line following a questionable foul call and knocked down both free throws, but Ohio State responded immediately as Thornton slipped a slick interior pass to Njegovan for a layup. Thornton then added a running layup of his own to push the lead, and after a Virginia turnover, a foul sent him back to the stripe where he split the pair.

The Cavaliers trimmed the margin with a driving layup, but Thornton again answered—jumping an errant Virginia pass and converting a short jumper the other way. Another whistle went against the Buckeyes on what appeared to be a clear offensive foul, putting Virginia at the line where they converted both. Tilly countered with a short baseline jumper before Virginia buried a three to cut the deficit in half. Thornton matched it with a three of his own.

A Virginia dunk followed, but Thornton came right back with a layup, and by the under-12 media timeout—with 9:48 to play—Ohio State held a 59–53 lead.

Another questionable whistle on a loose-ball scramble sent Virginia back to the free-throw line, where they split the pair. After an Ohio State miss, the Cavaliers buried a three to trim the deficit to two. Virginia then added another score, prompting Jake Diebler to call timeout as the Cavaliers capped a 6–0 run to pull even at 59 with 6:50 remaining.

A Buckeye turnover led to a Virginia basket that put the Cavaliers back in front, but Thornton answered with a short jumper to snap a scoring drought of more than four minutes and tie the game once again. Virginia responded by converting a runner—after appearing to get away with a travel—and by the under-4 media timeout the Cavaliers held a 63–61 lead.

Neither team scored for over 2 minutes as Ohio State had missed 8 of their last 9 shots and a Buckeye turnover led to a lay up the other way forcing Jake Diebler to take a timeout with 1:11 to play and Virginia leading 65-61.

Virginia split a pair of free throws with 40 seconds left to increase the lead to 5 and after an Ohio State timeout Bynum hit a three from the top to cut the deficit to 2. A foul in the backcourt put Virginia back on the line where they split the pair with 30 seconds left. Thornton had his jumper blocked and a foul put Virginia back on the line where they made both. Ohio State quickly advanced the ball to the other end where Cupps found Tilly for a dunk with 6 seconds left. The Buckeyes fouled with a second to play where the free throws dropped sealing the Virginia win.

Game Wrap

John Mobley’s absence loomed large for Ohio State in what will be remembered as a missed opportunity — and potentially a costly setback — in their push to get back into the NCAA Tournament. With Mobley sidelined for the foreseeable future, others were forced into bigger roles. Bruce Thornton carried the load and Amare Bynum delivered a strong performance, but Devin Royal struggled mightily, shooting just 2-of-12 from the field. Taison Chatman, making his first collegiate start, also had a difficult outing, battling fatigue while logging 31 minutes and scoring just 4.

While there was definitely quite a bit of questionable officiating, the Buckeyes’ issues on the defensive glass persisted, as they surrendered 11 offensive rebounds. Even so, Ohio State did enough for long stretches to win the game but failed to make the necessary plays down the stretch against a quality opponent. The team’s depth has been significantly impacted — first by the extended absence of Brandon Noel and now with Mobley out — continuing a frustrating trend of key injuries over the past several seasons.

Opponents won’t offer any sympathy, and with games still left to play, this loss stings. Ohio State will need to regroup quickly despite remaining shorthanded, as they return home to face a red-hot Wisconsin squad fresh off a demolition of Michigan State in East Lansing before traveling to face the Spartans on their home floor next Sunday. It will take a Herculean effort down the stretch, but the opportunities remain — they’ll simply have to seize them.

Box Score

*Official statistics provided courtesy of Statbroadcast.

Ohio State returns to the court on Tuesday night, hosting Wisconsin in the Schottenstein Center. Tip time is scheduled for 8:30 PM with television coverage provided by FS1.

-Jason Harris