Buckeyes stub toe against Hawkeyes

OSU beat Iowa by 31 points in the teams’ first meeting this season.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s Justin Johnson didn’t even bother attempting a shot from inside the 3-point line Saturday night. The way he was shooting, he didn’t have to.

Johnson scored 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting — all from 3-point range — and Iowa beat Ohio State 53-48 Saturday night, snapping the Buckeyes’ three-game winning streak.

Seth Gorney added 10 points for the Hawkeyes (11-12, 4-6 Big Ten), who suffered a 31-point loss to Ohio State on Jan. 9. Iowa answered back thanks to Johnson’s strong performance and a defense that played much better than it did last time. The Hawkeyes held Ohio State to 37.5 percent shooting from the floor.

That loss in Columbus, by far Iowa’s worst of the season, did a number on the Hawkeyes’ psyche. But they’ve since won four of their last seven and are within striking distance of .500 in league play. That would be quite an accomplishment for a team picked to finish ninth in the Big Ten.

“When we went over there … we weren’t really in the game. It hurt, and I thought we responded really well,” Iowa coach Todd Lickliter said. “This was a big challenge for them.”

Iowa was ahead 49-46 with 1:15 left when Jeff Peterson was called for a charge. But Jamar Butler missed a runner in the lane, and Tony Freeman hit two free throws to give the Hawkeyes a 51-46 lead with 34 seconds left.

Butler then missed a 3, and Cyrus Tate hit two free throws to ice the game.

Butler scored 11 and Kosta Koufos had 10 to lead Ohio State (15-7, 6-3). The Buckeyes, who shot 3-of-21 from 3-point range, were held under 50 points for the fourth time this season.

David Lighty and Othello Hunter each scored nine for Ohio State.

“We’re not the type of team that can go out and go 3-for-21 and be in it the way we were in it,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said.