COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State avoided what would have been a notable upset Thursday, holding off unranked Northwestern for a 69-59 victory. The 13th-ranked Buckeyes trailed the Wildcats by four points with seven minutes to play. The tension was high inside Value City Arena, where Ohio State has never lost to Northwestern. It’s been more than three decades since the Wildcats were victorious in Columbus. Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas helped the Buckeyes (18-6, 8-4 Big Ten) pull away with a game-ending 22-8 run. Thomas scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in that span, and Craft hit a tricky layup to give Ohio State a 61-57 lead with 1:50 to play. “Thomas really took over at the end of the game,” Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said. “In the last 10 minutes, we couldn’t keep the ball away from him. He made plays that good players make.” Thomas connected on two free throws, and Ohio State sophomore Sam Thompson threw down back-to-back dunks following missed 3-pointers…
Continue Reading: Buckeyes edge Northwestern thanks to late surge (The SportsXchange)
