String of late 3-point misses cement another deflating Ohio State loss
The decision was made. Trailing by four points with less than 30 seconds to play, Ohio State was going for a 3-pointer. On a designed action, the Buckeyes got it to Sean McNeil, the West Virginia transfer, who took the pass going to his left and fired with 20 seconds left
It didn’t fall. And neither did any of the ensuing four attempts by the Buckeyes, who in need of a bucket, a stop and another bucket instead ran down the clock on a 75-71 loss to Penn State with a fruitless, all-encompassing final possession that was deflating.
McNeil, a 37.2% 3-point shooter entering the game, missed first. Then freshman Bruce Thornton, also a 37.2% 3-point shooter, got the rebound, got to the arc and missed. Justice Sueing pulled down his game-high 10th rebound and found McNeil for the next miss. Brice Sensabaugh came up with the rebound before he, a team-best 43.5% 3-point shooter, missed.
That left McNeil, who got the fourth offensive rebound of the possession, one final chance, but his shot with three seconds left followed suit and missed. Sensabaugh got the rebound, the buzzer sounded and a feeling of disbelief settled over Value City Arena.
What the heck had just happened?
“It’s extremely difficult,” Thornton, who finished with 19 points, said. “All the guys that took shots hit those shots. For them not to go down it was kind of difficult. For me, seeing me, Brice and Sean shoot, at least one of us would’ve made it but that wasn’t the case. That last 20 seconds were kind of difficult.”
So have been the past 33 days and counting. One more made 3-pointer wouldn’t have made the difference between winning and losing. But had any one of those first few final attempts gone done, the Buckeyes would’ve had a chance to extend the game and potentially find a way to win. Instead, it was an awkward ending to what is now the ninth straight loss and 14th in the past 15 games for the Buckeyes.
One possession earlier, Ohio State trailed 73-69 when coach Chris Holtmann called timeout and drew up a play. They got the ball to sixth-year forward Justice Sueing on an isolation play, and he scored in the paint with 33 seconds left to get within two points. Then, once Penn State got the ball across midcourt, Sueing fouled Jalen Pickett to stop the clock with 28.5 seconds left.
He hit both, setting the final sequence in motion.
“I thought we could get a quick two and foul, and we did that,” Holtmann said. “We did need a 3 there. We got him coming to his left. We kind of got it on the matchup we want. We knew they were going to switch one through five, and then we had some clean looks off the rebounds. I don’t have a big issue with any of those looks.”
Ohio State finished with 13 offensive rebounds, “but it felt like 12 on that last possession,” Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry said.
With those five misses, Ohio State finished 8 for 23 (34.8%) from 3-point range. Until the final 20 seconds, it was 44.4% from deep, but that still didn’t match up with the free-shooting Nittany Lions. In a game in which it set a program record for made 3s in a season, Penn State went 10 for 19 (52.6%) from deep.
You've got to see this ending of the Ohio State-Penn State game. 😳 pic.twitter.com/HDXPA78S7x
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 24, 2023
It helped the visitors create enough breathing room to hang on. Neither team led by more than six points in a game that featured five ties and 20 lead changes, but the Nittany Lions were ahead for 26:10.
Ohio State led for 7:28, its second-highest total during this nine-game losing streak. The last three losses had been by an average of 21.7 points, and this was the closest defeat of any of the losses in this stretch.
But it’s still a defeat. Another one. As his press conference was nearing its conclusion, Thornton had a far-off look on his face, like he was replaying something about the game. For the final question, the freshman captain was asked what he was thinking about.
“Losing, you see every little small detail that can be changed, that could be different,” he said. “We could’ve got more offensive rebounds. It’s a lot of things that go into it, not just one little thing that makes you lose or win. We’ve got to learn from it, keep getting better and move onto the next.”
Brice Sensabaugh sits for second-half stretch, still leads Ohio State in scoring
Ohio State played Penn State to a 37-all halftime tie with Sensabaugh and Thornton combining for 24 points. Sensabaugh, the team’s leading scorer at 16.5 points per game, had 14 on 5 of 7 shooting during the first half, and when he subbed out with 15:53 left he was up to 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting and Penn State led 48-46.
He did not return to the game until the under-8 timeout, when he subbed in with 6:50 left and Ohio State ahead 65-64. After hitting a jumper with 17:01 to play, Sensabaugh would not attempt another shot until the 3:32 mark, a span of 13:29.
Ohio State’s best lineup for the game consisted of Thornton, Gene Brown III, McNeil, Likekele and Sueing. In 11:02, it scored 22 points and allowed 17 (plus-5). During the 13:29 with Sensabaugh on the bench during the second half, that lineup was on the court from 13:59-6:50 and scored 16 points while allowing 10 (plus-6).
“I thought the group out there played well,” Holtmann said of the time Sensabaugh was on the bench. “That group took the lead that was out there. I don’t even know who was on the bench or who wasn’t playing. I’m not aware of that. I just knew that group was playing well so they stayed out on the floor.
“As a coach you’re not taking into account this kids’ been out this number of minutes, that number of minutes. You’re seeing who’s playing well. That group was playing well, defending well, executing offensively. We took the lead that’s who we went with.”
Sensabaugh said that while he wanted to be on the court, he was fine with the decision.
“Obviously I want to be in there helping my team, but I’m here to do whatever the team needs and whatever the coach needs,” he said. “I’m going to bring my best. We had a good group of guys in there who kept us in the game and whenever it’s my time to come in I’m just looking to fight.”
He finished with 20 points on 8 of 14 shooting. Ohio State posted its second-worst adjusted defensive efficiency rating of the season according to KenPom.com, allowing the Nittany Lions to score 135.2 points per 100 possessions.
Brice Sensabaugh: Ohio State's Brice Sensabaugh keeps impressing with 'ridiculous, God-given touch' for scoring
Later in his press conference, Holtmann was asked if he was comfortable with Sensabaugh going so long without getting a shot.
“It’s a valid question,” he said. “There’s two ends (of the court). That group was really competing at both ends. It’s not to say (Sensabaugh) wasn’t, but he’s got to continue to grow on the other end. There are times it does impact our team. He knows that. He’s working hard on that, but this is about what group on the floor is performing and I thought that group performed well.”
Turnovers, free throws and other key numbers
Penn State is not a team that turns its opponents over with high regularity, but this was something else. The Nittany Lions were forcing opponents into 9.5 turnovers a game, but Ohio State finished the game with just one. It’s the fewest in a game for the Buckeyes since the 1977-78 season.
That's the first year the statistic was officially recorded, making this a program record for fewest turnovers in a game.
“They’re a team that doesn’t turn you over a ton,” Holtmann said. “The biggest thing was we passed the ball at the right time at the right place to the right guy. We moved it in crowds, in traffic. We didn’t force things up, for the most part.”
The Nittany Lions also don’t spend much time at the free-throw line. Their 289 attempts entering Thursday night were the fewest in the Big Ten by 87. But against Ohio State, Penn State went 11 for 15 from the line while the Buckeyes were 5 for 6. Penn State last shot more free throws than its opponent in an 83-61 home win against Michigan on Jan. 29 eight games ago.
Micah Shrewsberry defends Chris Holtmann
As part of his opening statement, Penn State’s coach offered words of support for his Ohio State counterpart.
“Chris Holtmann is a hell of a coach,” he said. “If anybody’s got any doubts about that, they’re crazy. He’s done it. Yeah, they’re struggling this year. That dude can coach, so you can get that nonsense or craziness out of my face. Don’t bring that over to me. Not that anybody cares about my opinion. My opinion is he’s a hell of a coach.”
Shrewsberry was asked what he respects about Holtmann.
“Just for a long time, he’s got a history of winning,” he said. “I haven’t even gotten through year two. He has a history of winning built up everywhere he’s been. Some teams, you get to this point in the season, it’s late February. I don’t know what they’ve lost in a row. People are ready to quit at some point in time. If you’re not connected, if you’re not playing for each other, if you’re not playing for your coach, you’re gonna quit. They haven’t quit. They’re still playing. They’re still playing hard.
“That’s the sign of a good coach. That’s the sign of a team that’s bought in. That’s what I’m seeing from them. They’re going to keep fighting.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Late misses against Penn State cemented Ohio State's latest loss
