Iowa men's basketball vs. Ohio State: Box score, highlights, live updates recap

No. 20 Iowa led from start to finish in a Top-25 matchup Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, beating No. 25 Ohio State 85-76.

The Hawkeyes improved to 13-1 at home and are now 19-8 overall and 10-6 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes, who had won five of six entering this one, slipped to 17-9, 7-8.

Box score: No. 20 Iowa 85, No. 25 Ohio State 76

Reaction: Subs Cordell Pemsl, Bakari Evelyn help Iowa torpedo Ohio State

Line: Iowa was favored by 2.5

Over/under: Over 143.5

Turning point: This one turned right away. Iowa jumped out to an 18-3 lead and was up 27-8 at one point in the first half. Ohio State got within eight later in the half and trailed 46-35 at halftime, but the Hawkeyes maintained a comfortable distance in the second half. A late Buckeyes run cut the lead to seven with 17 seconds left, but they could get no closer.

MVP: Luka Garza was once again excellent, particularly during a 17-point first half in which he was 7 of 9 from the field and 2 of 4 from 3-point range. The Iowa big man finished with 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting, six rebounds and a career-high four assists.

Key stat: 5-7. With CJ Fredrick out for the second straight game with an ankle injury, a pair of Iowa guards stepped up from 3-point distance. Joe Toussaint hit both of his 3-point attempts and Bakari Evelyn nailed 3 of 5, giving Iowa a much-needed outside threat to keep Ohio State honest. Evelyn ended up with 15 points and three assists and Toussaint had nine points and three assists.

Stat leaders:

Points — Luka Garza, Iowa (24); E.J. Liddell, Ohio State (17)

Rebounds — Cordell Pemsl, Iowa (8); E.J. Liddell, Ohio State (8)

Assists — Connor McCaffery, Luka Garza, Iowa (4); CJ Walker, Ohio State (7)

Steals — Connor McCaffery, Cordell Pemsl, Iowa (2); CJ Walker, Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State (2)

Blocks — Ryan Kriener, Bakari Evelyn, Iowa (1); E.J. Liddell, Ohio State (2)

Ohio State-Iowa live updates recap

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