March 12, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stutz (14) drives toward the basket against Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Image Bruce Thornton scored 17 of his 24 points after halftime and Christoph Tilly added 16 points to help Ohio State beat Iowa 72-69 in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday in Chicago.
The eighth-seeded Buckeyes faced No. 1 seed Michigan in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Ohio State (21-11) took a 16-point lead in the second half and withstood a series of late attacks from Iowa (21-12).
A 10-1 Hawkeyes run cut the deficit to six points with 7:29 left before the Buckeyes regained momentum with five straight points. Ninth-seeded Iowa rallied with a 7-0 run to give the Hawkeyes a 70-69 lead with 38 seconds left.
John Mobley Jr. (12 points) sank two free throws with 8.8 seconds left in the final margin. Iowa’s Brendan Hausen missed a tying 3-pointer with 4 seconds remaining. Isaia Howard had another chance for the Hawkeyes at the buzzer after Ohio State missed the front end of a one-and-one, but the shot went off target.
Bennett Stirtz led Iowa with 17 points, while Cam Manyawu and Tavion Banks each had nine.
Amare Bynum added 11 points for the Buckeyes. Thornton tied Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras for a game-high six rebounds.
Iowa State had 50% and Ohio State had 55.3%. Manyawu’s layup following a Buckeyes turnover brought the Hawkeyes within two points with 18:43 remaining, but Iowa didn’t register another field goal until Tate Sage hit a trey 5:20 later.
Ohio State took control 17-3 in the meantime. Thornton sizzled during that period, scoring 12 points in 1 minute and 58 seconds, snapping a personal streak of 10 in a row.
Ohio State overcame a sluggish start on the floor to take a 34-30 lead into halftime. The Buckeyes opened the half 1-for-7, including 0-for-3 from long range, and finished the half 11-for-14.
Tilly scored 12 points before the break and Bynum had eight to help the Buckeyes take an overall 36-20 edge in points in the paint.
Stirtz had nine first-half points for the Hawkeyes.
Michigan (29-2), the third-ranked team in the AP poll, swept the regular season series with Ohio State. The Wolverines followed up a 12-point win at home on Jan. 23 with an 82-61 road win on Feb. 8.
–Field level media
