Buckeyes top Notre Dame
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann had strong words for his 22nd- ranked Buckeyes at halftime Tuesday night, and junior E. J. Liddell got his message.
The 6- foot- 7 Liddell scored 17 of his careerhigh 19 points in the second half as the Buckeyes overcame an eight- point halftime deficit to hold off feisty Notre Dame 9085 in the ACC- Big Ten Challenge. “( Hollmann) said I needed to play harder and lead the team better,” said Liddell, who finished with a doubledouble thanks to his 12 rebounds and was one of five Buckeyes in double figures.
Liddell’s defensive rebound and put- back basket with 50 seconds remaining gave the Buckeyes breathing room at 85- 80.
C. J. Walker, who finished with 16 points along with Justice Seuing, then hit four free throws down the stretch for Ohio State. Duane Washington Jr. had 13 points and Justin Ahrens finished with 12 — all on 3- pointers — as the Buckeyes improved to 4- 0 by hitting 11 of 23 3- pointers and 21 of 24 free throws.
“I thought our performance in the second half was considerably better,” said Holtmann, whose team trailed at halftime 42- 34. “We played together better on both ends in the second half. I’ve got a lot of respect for this Notre Dame team. They spread you out and they are difficult to guard.”
The Fighting Irish ( 12) got a game- high 26 points from guard Prentiss Hubb on 8- of17 shooting, including 5 of 9 from beyond the 3- point line. Nate Laszewski had 17 points and nine rebounds, Dane Goodwin had 16 points and Cormac Ryan had 15 — all in the first half — for the Irish.
“Credit Ohio State – they made a few more physically tough plays around the rim and that hurt us,” said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, who lost center Juwan Durham with his fifth personal with 8: 44 remaining and played just seven players total. “Our guys are crushed.”
The Irish finished the first half with an 8- 0 run, holding the Buckeyes scoreless for the final 3: 18.
Hubb keyed the final run with a 12- footer and then a steal before feeding Laszewski for a slam with 32.4 seconds to go. Ryan’s 15 points came on 5- of- 7 shooting but he got only one shot in the second half.
The Irish lead grew to 55- 44 on two free throws by Laszewski with 14: 38 left. But the Buckeyes didn’t go away, going on a 16- 6 run over the next 5 ½ minutes to pull to 6160.
Walker then made two free throws after Durham fouled out to give Ohio State a 62- 61 lead with 8: 44 to go. Hubb’s 3- pointer gave the Irish a 70- 69 lead with 5: 41 remaining before Ohio State finished on a 21- 15 run.
Iowa 93, North Carolina 80
IOWA CITY, Iowa ( AP) — Jordan Bohannon scored 24 points to lead four players in double figures for Iowa, and the Hawkeyes beat North Carolina in an ACC/ Big Ten Challenge game.
Luka Garza, who came into the game leading the nation in scoring at 34 points per game, had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Hawkeyes ( 4- 0). He had his streak of 19 consecutive games of scoring 20 or more points snapped.
Bohannon had scored 11 points in Iowa’s first three games this season. But he got hot from 3- point range, making 7 of 16 attempts, and converted his only shot from inside the arc.
Garrison Brooks scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures for the Tar Heels ( 3- 2).
CJ Fredrick had 21 points and Joe Wieskamp added 19 for the Hawkeyes.
Kansas 73, Creighton 72
LAWRENCE, Kan. ( AP) — Jalen Wilson hit the go- ahead 3- pointer with 42 seconds remaining, then watched as Marcus Zegarowski missed the last of three free throws after fouling him with 1.1 seconds left, allowing fifthranked Kansas to escape with a victory over No. 8 Creighton on Tuesday night.
Wilson finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Christian Braun scored 14 points, missing a foul shot that could have clinched the game with 12.5 seconds to go, and David Mccormack contributed 13 points as the Jayhawks ( 5- 1) won their fifth straight against the Bluejays.
Denzel Mahoney gave Creighton ( 3- 1) a chance down the stretch. He hit a 3- pointer with 1: 22 left to get the Bluejays within 70- 68, then picked the pocket of Bryce Thompson and coasted for the tying layup with just over a minute to go.
Zegarowski was fouled by Wilson on his tying 3- point attempt and hit the first two free throws before missing. He finished with 16 points. Mahoney led the Bluejays with 19 points while Christian Bishop and Damien Jefferson had 13 apiece.
Dayton 66, Northern Kentucky 60 DAYTON ( AP) — Ibi Watson scored 19 points as Dayton defeated Northern Kentucky 66- 60 on Tuesday night.
Jalen Crutcher added 17 points for the Flyers ( 2- 1), while Chase Johnson chipped in 16. Watson also had seven turnovers but only two assists. Crutcher also had eight assists and six rebounds, while Johnson posted 10 rebounds.
Trevon Faulkner had 15 points for the Norse ( 2- 2). Trey Robinson added 13 points and Bryson Langdon had 11 points..