Ohio State is on to the NIT quarterfinals with an 81-73 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Despite plenty of tense moments down the stretch of a foul-laden second half, the second-seeded Buckeyes defeated third-seeded Virginia Tech 81-73 in the second round of the NIT on Saturday, extending their season another game.Jamison Battle led Ohio State with 21 points, 17 coming at the free-throw line. He added a team-high nine rebounds.
The Hokies opened the contest on a 7-0 run as it took 3:49 before the Buckeyes scored their first points off a three-pointer from Roddy Gayle Jr. A follow-up triple on the next possession cut the lead to 7-6. That run got extended to 15-2 in short order, with a thunderous two-handed slam from Royal and a Gayle layup pushing the advantage to 34-21. Virginia Tech cut into the deficit a touch with help from a Cattoor triple, but Ohio State entered halftime up 36-26.Okpara provided a spark to start the second half, swatting two shots and flushing down an alley-oop in the opening minutes.
Pedulla scored six straight for the Hokies and they started to chip away at the lead, however. Two Cattoor free throws made it 54-48, Bonner hit a triple and later two free throws for five straight Ohio State points, but Pedulla finished another three-point play and the lead was six again at 59-53.
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