Ohio State has not lost consecutive games all season, and that determination and grit was on full display on Monday when the Buckeyes knocked off Indiana in overtime.

Malaki Branham scored 27 points and No. 22 Ohio State rallied to beat Indiana 80-69. The Buckeyes overcame a 4-point deficit with under 3 minutes. Some key plays included E.J. Liddell forcing a steal with 1:11 remaining and delivering a dunk with 6 seconds left.

Sports Betting in Big Ten Country

Sports betting in Ohio is officially launching on January 1, 2023.

Pre-registration is now open at FanDuel Ohio for an extra $100 bonus. Go pre-register now.

21+ and present in OH. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

“This was a gritty, emotional win,” said Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann, via 247Sports. “I’m really proud of our guys. We’ve got a lot of respect for this Indiana team. I think they’re really talented, a bona fide NCAA Tournament team. I know they’ve hit some struggles, but we have a lot of respect for their talent and the job Mike (Woodson) is doing.”

The win was fueled by defense when it mattered most. Ohio State had 5 blocks and a steal in the second half. In overtime, the Buckeyes held an 8-0 edge in rebounds, and they closed the game on a 10-0 run while the Hoosiers missed their last 7 shots.

Ultimately, it was the momentum shift late that proved to be the difference.

“They were really confident and we were really glad we got it to overtime,” Holtmann said. “They were up 4 with the ball with 1:23 to go. We wanted to make them earn in the half court and then quickly get into a couple actions that we talked about in the timeout. We didn’t have the legs to really push it off of misses. We didn’t have the speed or the legs to do that. It was a long game, but you know, coming back with them with the ball, it didn’t look great at that point.”