No. 14 Ohio State drops Iowa 82-64 to claim ‘Big Ten’ lead
Gonzaga snaps Saint Mary’s win streak
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb 11, (AP): Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann warned his team to avoid a letdown after his team’s upset of No. 3 Purdue.
A letdown at this point for the Buckeyes would be as hard to imagine as them owning sole possession of first place of the Big Ten in mid-February.
That’s where they are after Keita Bates-Diop had 14 points and eight rebounds in No. 14 Ohio State’s 82-64 victory over Iowa on Saturday.
Hot shooting at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second propelled Ohio State (22-5, 13-1) to an insurmountable lead against the Hawkeyes (12-15, 3-11).
Kaleb Wesson added 18 points and C.J Jackson scored 14 for the Buckeyes. With Michigan State’s win over Purdue earlier Saturday, the Buckeyes are alone in first place in the conference.
Following a 7-0 Iowa run that put the Hawkeyes up 18-15, Ohio State rattled off an 8-0 run of its own with a second-chance layup and two layups in transition after forcing turnovers on
Tyler Cook #5 of the Iowa Hawkeyes attempts to drive the ball past Jae’Sean Tate #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half of the game at Value City Arena on Feb 10, in Columbus,
Ohio. (AFP)
Rui Hachimura scored 23 points and was a key part of a defensive effort that neutralized Landale as the 12th-ranked Bulldogs ended the nation’s longest active winning streak at 19 games with a 78-65 victory over the 11th ranked Gaels on Saturday night.
Landale made 12 of 15 shots in Saint Mary’s win at Gonzaga last month but was held to just four shots and two baskets because of relentless double teams right from the start in the rematch.
The Bulldogs (23-4, 13-1) jumped on the Gaels (24-3, 13-1) early and never trailed, making 3-pointers on the first three trips and showing off a defensive wrinkle by sending double teams at Landale as soon as he got the ball in the post.
That strategy only worked because of the way Gonzaga recovered to prevent 3-pointers, holding the Gaels to 5 for 20 from long range.
Zach Norvell Jr scored 15 points and Johnathan Williams added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Gonzaga.
Cullen Neal scored 18 and Jordan Ford added 17 to lead Saint Mary’s.
Hachimura converted sweeping layups on back-to-back trips early in the second half, adding a foul shot on one of the plays, to help Gonzaga open up a 20-point lead.
Gonzaga raced out to a 22-5 lead, quieting an overflow crowd that turned out for the first matchup of two top 15 teams in WCC history. The Gaels responded and cut the deficit to seven before going into the half down 42-30.
“They came out and kind of just hit us in the mouth,” Ford said. “They got a big lead on us early, and after that it was kind of hard for us to get back.”