CHICAGO – John Mobley Jr. hit two free throws with 8.8 seconds left to help No. 8 seed Ohio State hang on for a 72-69 win against No. 9 seed Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament.
Ohio State led for the entire second half, pushing its advantage as high as 16 points, but had to hang on in the final seconds to advance. Iowa got within 70-69 with 38.7 seconds left on two Bennett Stirtz free throws, but after Bruce Thornton and Amare Bynum both missed at the rim Mobley came up with the loose ball and was fouled.
Iowa pushed the ball past midcourt, called timeout with 7.2 seconds left and drew up a final play. Brendan Hausen's turnaround 3-point attempt from the corner hit the clock above the basket, giving the Buckeyes the ball with 4.8 seconds left and forcing the Hawkeyes to foul. Iowa would get one final look after Christoph Tilly missed the free throw, but it didn't fall.
With the win, the Buckeyes (21-11) will take on No. 1 seed Michigan in the quarterfinal round March 13 at noon Eastern. The Wolverines swept the season series, winning by 12 at home and by 21 at Ohio State.
This also marks the fourth time in as many years that Ohio State and Iowa have played in the league tournament with the Buckeyes going 3-1 in those games.
Bruce Thornton took over in second half
The Buckeyes were able to create some critical separation during a Thornton takeover stretch near the midpoint of the second half. With the lead at 41-35, Ohio State's senior finished a three-point play at the 15:53 mark to start a personal 10-0 run.
Thornton hit a 3-pointer, a mid-range jumper and and a layup for the run that made it 51-35 with 13:53 left. The 10-point run equaled his point total in Ohio State's 17-point loss to the Hawkeyes 15 days prior.
Ohio State closed first half with a flourish
Iowa held a 12-6 lead near the midpoint of the first half as the Buckeyes showed signs of rust while the Hawkeyes looked like a team that had just played on this same court one day prior.
That all changed on a Christoph Tilly free throw with 11:23 left. Ohio State had turned it over four times and missed six of its seven shots to that point, but the Buckeyes closed the half from there by scoring on 14 of their final 16 possessions including six straight to end the half.
It gave the Buckeyes a 34-30 halftime lead that they would steadily build as the second half got underway.
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State basketball defeats Iowa in Big Ten Tournament opener