No. 1 Bucks survive, go to 22-0

Associated Press

EVANSTON, ILL.

No one could have blamed Thad Matta for letting out a sigh of relief. Top-ranked Ohio State’s coach expected a difficult time against Northwestern, and that’s exactly what the unbeaten Buckeyes got Saturday night.

They also found a way to capture their 22nd straight victory, thanks to a late steal from veteran David Lighty and a tie-breaking free throw from freshman star Jared Sullinger to pull out a 58-57 victory over the short-handed and determined Wildcats.

“We’re going to celebrate our wins,” Matta said. “What an incredible basketball game. I think we had some spurts, but give Northwestern credit. They got a rhythm going.”

Once again it was Sullinger coming through for the Buckeyes. Northwestern had a chance to take the lead, but Lighty stole a pass near the basket with 17 seconds to go. And the Buckeyes then worked the ball into the 6-foot-9, 280-pound Sullinger.

He was double-teamed throughout the game and in this instance, once he got the ball to go up near the basket, he was fouled. With Northwestern’s student section trying to distract him with waves and screams, he hit the rim with his first attempt and swished the second.

“That’s what I want. If they double me or guard me one-on-one, it’s going to be good for us. Because I can kick it out,” Sullinger said.

After three timeouts, Northwestern got a long attempt from Drew Crawford that hit the backboard.

“It was very physical down there. I thought Jared kept his composure and handled himself really well,” Matta added. “I knew we’d get a pretty good look . ... He’s hit some big shots and made some big free throws.”

Sullinger finished with 21 points and Aaron Craft had 13 points for Ohio State.