COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Duane Washington Jr. scored 17 points and No. 22 Ohio State held off Cleveland State 67-61 on Sunday.
The Buckeyes (5-0) were coming off a good road win at Notre Dame on Tuesday, but struggled to put away the Vikings (0-3).
C.J. Walker added 16 points and freshman Zed Key had his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
D’Moi Hodge had 14 points and Chris Greene scored 12 for Cleveland State.
Ohio State led 31-24 at halftime before Cleveland State got the lead down to 38-37 on a rebound basket by Greene with 11:39 left in the game. The Vikings had two possessions where they could have tied the game or taken the lead, but could not take advantage.
After a 2-for-12 start behind the 3-point arc, Ohio State answered with a barrage of 3s. Justin Ahrens hit a pair and Jimmy Sotos and Walker each had one as the Buckeyes surged ahead 56-48 with 5:29 left.
Cleveland State rallied and got as close as five points on a steal and layup by Tre Gomillion, cutting the lead to 60-55 with 2:42 left. But Key answered with a spinning hook inside and the Buckeyes put it away at the foul line after that.
HEALTH UPDATE
Ohio State played the game without sophomore forward E.J. Liddell, who had a team-high 19 points in the team’s win at Notre Dame on Tuesday. Liddell is out indefinitely as he deals with a non-Covid-19 related illness, according to an Ohio State release.
BIG PICTURE
Ohio State: The Buckeyes hit just 40% of their shots from the floor, not the kind of performance coach Chris Holtmann was looking for with games against Purdue and North Carolina coming in the next six days.
Cleveland State: The Vikings got contributions and clutch shots from a number of players as they gave Ohio State everything it could handle. This is a game that could give them confidence going into Horizon League play.
UP NEXT
Ohio State: Visits Purdue on Wednesday.
Cleveland State: Visits Robert Morris for games Saturday and Sunday.