Streak snapped: Isaac Likekele, Brice Sensabaugh power Ohio State past Iowa
With a defender on his hip, Brice Sensabaugh drove him into teammate Felix Okpara, squared toward the basket and lobbed the pass.
The 6-foot-11, springy freshman center took it in stride and slammed it home. As the crowd erupted, and the Buckeyes ran back upcourt, starting center Zed Key leapt off both feet with arms outstretched from his spot at the scorers' table waiting to check in.
It's been a while since the Buckeyes had found much reason for celebration.
Okpara's dunk wasn't the game-winning field goal. It came with 13:58 to play and gave Ohio State a 58-47 lead on Iowa. But it was a showcase of what was to come and a reminder of where the Buckeyes were coming from.
Blow by blow, dunk by dunk and stop by stop, Ohio State (11-8, 3-5 Big Ten) shook off the shackles of an unprecedented losing streak, snapped Iowa's four-game winning streak in the process and enjoyed its first victory in three weeks with a 93-77 win against the Hawkeyes (12-7, 4-4) on Saturday afternoon at Value City Arena.
No Ohio State team had ever lost five straight games all by single digits. Saturday, the Buckeyes pushed their lead as high as 16 points, took another double-digit lead on a Sensabaugh 3-pointer with 7:18 left and kept it there for the remainder. Ohio State had not topped 73 points during its losing streak.
They got plenty of help, but Isaac Likekele and Sensabaugh were the stars. Sensabaugh scored a career-high 27 points and Likekele posted his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, both season-high totals. Likekele's double-double was his first since he had 16 and 12, respectively, against Kansas on Jan. 4, 2022.
The Oklahoma State graduate transfer also dished out seven assists in his most impactful all-around game of the season.
After a third rugged offensive start in as many games, Ohio State eventually settled in and heated up as the crowd provided a noticeable energy boost. The Buckeyes dug an early 11-5 hole and still trailed 13-10 when Isaac Likekele found himself utterly alone in the right corner. A career 25.7% shooter from 3-point range who had missed all six of his attempts this season, Likekele collected himself, fired and buried the shot with 12:19 left to tie the game.
It started a run. Although the Hawkeyes reclaimed the lead with a pair of free throws from Tony Perkins on the next possession, Likekele threw a lob to Felix Okpara to tie the game and, after Okpara blocked Filip Rebraca at the rim, the Oklahoma State transfer got to the lane for a go-ahead basket with 11:20 left. It was the third of seven straight possessions on which the Buckeyes came away with points and amounted to an 18-4 run capped by a Justice Sueing 3-pointer with 8:25 left in the half.
That 28-17 lead tied Ohio State’s biggest since the losing streak started Jan. 5 against Purdue, but Iowa quickly answered with a wide-open 3-pointer from Josh Dix and slowly crawled back into the game. The Buckeyes would score only four points in the final 4:37, two on free throws from Sensabaugh and two more on a Likekele layup, and head to the locker room with a 37-35 lead.
The Buckeyes were 7 for 8 during their 18-4 run and 7 for 22 during the rest of the half. The teams combined for 11 empty possessions to close the half
For the fifth time in as many games, coach Chris Holtmann adjusted the starting lineup. Ohio State opened with Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Isaac Likekele, Brice Sensabaugh and Zed Key, a lineup that had totaled 2:58 all season and both allowed and scored nine points.
It marked the first time that a healthy Sueing has not started for Ohio State. He started all 31 games during the 2020-21 season and the first 18 games of this season. West Virginia transfer guard Sean McNeil, too, came off the bench for the first time this season after undergoing a "dental emergency," per the team, during the week and missing practice leading into the game.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: No more streaking: Likekele, Sensabaugh lead Buckeyes past Iowa
