But too many key contributors failed to give the Buckeyes enough of a boost to take them over the top in theFor the most part, Ohio State’s stars played their role. Despite a shaky performance for much of the day, E.J. Liddell finished with 20 points, and Malaki Branham – who is still growing into a star – had the exact same total. Both were instrumental late in a second-half comeback that saw the Buckeyes go from down 20 to tied up with Purdue in the final 14 minutes.
“We expect a lot of E.J., Kyle and those guys. They can be even better, and for us to win on the road, they need to be even better in some areas,” Chris Holtmann said after the loss. “We have to coach them and continue to challenge them in that. But was fantastic making those shots late, I wanted him to be even a little bit more aggressive throughout the game. But a couple key plays where we didn’t get to the glass like we needed to on defense, that’s what will stick with me.
In place of Ahrens, freshman guard Meechie Johnson got his second straight start for the Buckeyes, but his performance was less than memorable. Johnson shot 1-for-5 from the field and dished just one assist, and he is now just 2-for-12 shooting in his last two games since returning from a facial fracture and concussion.
“I thought our bench guys were pretty good. I thought Gene and Cedric were fantastic,” Holtmann said. “I thought Joey gave us a really good lift, just with his physicality. Certainly some guys need to play better. We need to help them, as coaches, play better. But those guys gave us a great lift.”
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