Battle of the unbeatens

Ohio State vs Butler

The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Butler Bulldogs 54-51 in a Saturday afternoon clash of unbeaten teams at Value City Arena in Columbus.

The 21st-ranked Buckeyes, who moved into the latest Associated Press Top 25 after winning at Miami (Fla.) and Notre Dame last week, improved to 6-0 with the triumph over Butler (8-1).

“We are very pleased with the victory,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. “I told our guys we beat an NCAA Tournament team today, but we still need to make strides. There are always areas where we can improve.”

Butler freshman Gordon Hayward scored a career-high 25 points, making seven shots from three-point range. Hayward, however, missed a pair of triples in the final 48 seconds that would have tied the game.

Ohio State sophomore guard Jon Diebler grabbed the rebound of Hayward’s missed three-point attempt with 48 seconds remaining. The Buckeyes did not score on their ensuing possession, which resulted in a missed jumper by sophomore wing Evan Turner.

Butler sophomore forward Matt Howard rebounded Turner’s shot with 11 seconds left, giving the Bulldogs a final opportunity to force overtime.

After calling timeout with eight seconds left, Butler designed a play for Hayward, whose last-second three-point shot was off the mark.

“It was obvious they were going to shoot a three-pointer and get No. 20 (Hayward) open,” Ohio State’s Turner said. “We were prepared coming out and were able to pull out the win.”

“We didn’t get a great look because of the limited time we had and how hard they play the zone,” said Butler coach Brad Stevens. “I was proud we even got a shot off. It’s not a coincidence teams are shooting the way they are against Ohio State. They’re a tough team.”

Turner led Ohio State with 14 points to go with five rebounds and three assists.

Junior wing David Lighty finished with 10 points and eight rebounds for the Buckeyes, while sophomore forward Dallas Lauderdale had nine points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Diebler contributed eight points, three rebounds and an assist.

Freshman guard Shelvin Mack ended with 13 points, four rebounds and seven assists for Butler, while Howard finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Buckeyes led 29-23 at halftime and extended their advantage to 43-30 on a pair of free throws by Lauderdale with 15:40 remaining. After the Bulldogs rallied and tied the game at 51-51 on a three-pointer by Hayward with 3:58 left, they were held scoreless the rest of the way.

Ohio State pulled ahead to stay on a jumper by Turner with 3:07 remaining. Lauderdale then hit one of two free throws to make the score 54-51 with 1:02 left.

> Find more Big Ten football news online at Big Ten Fans!