No. 16 Ohio State finds its way into Michigan, 68-57

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — EJ Liddell scored 26 points, Cedric Russell added 12 and No. 16 Ohio State beat Michigan 68-57 on Saturday night.

The Buckeyes (15-6, 8-4 Big Ten) rebounded from a 66-64 loss at Rutgers on Wednesday to win for the second time in three games. Ohio State had lost four of its last five road games.

“This is a great road win,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. “We responded to a punch in the gut the other night. I didn’t know if we were going to win or not, but I knew we were going to respond the right way because of the leadership of this group.”

Eli Brooks scored 17 points and Hunter Dickinson added 14 for Michigan (13-10, 7-6), which played its third game in five days.

“You have to be a little tired, especially when you’re playing three in five nights,” Michigan coach Juwan Howard said. “That’s the game plan we were given, but we’re not making any excuses for it. We had a chance to win the game, but you have to give Ohio credit. They played well, they played with energy and they played with toughness.”

The Buckeyes led 33-30 at halftime and were able to pull away in the second half.

“I tell everyone to stay ready,” Liddell said, referring to Russell, who came off the bench. “Everyone will have their big moments and we’ll need everyone in the home stretch.”

Ohio State shot 50% from the field, while Michigan shot just 42.1%. However, Michigan outrebounded Ohio State 31 to 25.

With a layup in the second half, Brooks became the 56th Michigan player to score 1,000 career points.

ON THE GAME

Ohio State: The Buckeyes could remain at No. 16 in the poll for another week.

Michigan: Needs a strong finish or a standout performance in the conference tournament to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament.

NOTEWORTHY

At halftime, Michigan honored former player Rudy Tomjanovich, who had a long career as a player and coach in the NBA. He was the first Wolverine inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. … The game was the first of the season between the rivals. They will play again at Ohio State on March 6. … The Buckeyes are playing six of their last eight games at home, where they are undefeated (10-0) this season.

NEXT

Ohio State: Hosts Minnesota on Tuesday.

Michigan: On Thursday in Iowa.

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