Ohio State Buckeyes vs Iowa Hawkeyes
Harding hits late 3 to help Iowa pull away and beat Ohio State 77-70 in a Big Ten Tournament opener
INDIANAPOLIS -- — Brock Harding scored 15 points that included a clutch 3-pointer to help 15th-seeded Iowa pull away from No. 10 seed Ohio State for a 77-70 victory on Wednesday night in a Big Ten Tournament opener.
Bruce Thornton converted a three-point play and then added a pullup jumper following a Harding turnover to cut the Ohio State deficit to 72-70 with 45 seconds left. Harding answered with a 3-pointer, Thornton missed a 3 on the other end and Payton Sandfort added two free throws to seal it for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa (17-15) will move on to face fifth-seeded Wisconsin (23-8) in the second round on Thursday.
Payton Sandfort finished with 17 points for the Hawkeyes, who shot 55% (29 of 53). Josh Dix added 16 points and Pryce Sandfort had 10. Harding shot 5 of 6 from the floor and made three 3-pointers.
Thornton scored 24 points and had nine assists to lead Ohio State (17-15). Devin Royal chipped in with 17 points and Micah Parrish had 16.
There were 13 lead changes and the score was tied 10 times. Iowa shot 10 of 24 from 3-point range while Ohio State was 5 of 22 from distance.
The teams were tied at 37 at the break then Iowa opened the second half on a 17-9 run for its largest lead at 54-46, with about 14 minutes remaining. The Hawkeyes took the lead for good, 62-61, with 7:11 to play.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Earl Walton
- Brian Dorsey
- Donald Carstensen
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 2-0 | - | 7-2 |
| Michigan | 1-0 | 0.5 | 9-0 |
| Michigan State | 1-0 | 0.5 | 8-1 |
| Purdue | 1-0 | 0.5 | 8-1 |
| Illinois | 1-0 | 0.5 | 8-2 |
| Wisconsin | 1-0 | 0.5 | 7-2 |
| Minnesota | 1-0 | 0.5 | 5-4 |
| USC | 1-1 | 1 | 9-1 |
| Iowa | 1-1 | 1 | 8-1 |
| Indiana | 1-1 | 1 | 8-2 |
| Ohio State | 1-1 | 1 | 7-2 |
| Washington | 1-1 | 1 | 6-3 |
| Nebraska | 0-0 | 1 | 9-0 |
| Penn State | 0-1 | 1.5 | 8-2 |
| Maryland | 0-1 | 1.5 | 6-4 |
| Northwestern | 0-2 | 2 | 5-4 |
| Rutgers | 0-2 | 2 | 5-5 |
| Oregon | 0-2 | 2 | 4-5 |

