Ohio State holds off Iowa, advances to Big Ten quarterfinals

Field Level Media|published: Thu 12th March, 14:38 2026

Mar 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) drives to the basket against Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Bruce Thornton scored 17 of his 24 points after halftime and Christoph Tilly added 16 points to help Ohio State edge Iowa 72-69 in the third round of the Big Ten tournament on Thursday in Chicago.

The eighth-seeded Buckeyes advanced to face No. 1 seed Michigan in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Ohio State (21-11) withstood a series of late charges from Iowa (21-12) after leading by 16 in the second half.

A 10-1 Hawkeyes run trimmed the deficit to six with 7:29 left before the Buckeyes regained momentum with five straight points. Ninth-seeded Iowa regrouped, as a 7-0 run brought the Hawkeyes within 70-69 with 38 seconds to go.

John Mobley Jr. (12 points) swished two free throws with 8.8 seconds left for the final margin. Iowa's Brendan Hausen missed a potential tying 3-pointer with four seconds to go. Isaia Howard got another chance for the Hawkeyes at the buzzer after Ohio State missed the front end of a one-and-one, but the shot was off the mark.

Bennett Stirtz paced Iowa with 17 points while Cam Manyawu and Tavion Banks had nine each.

Amare Bynum added 11 points for the Buckeyes. Thornton matched Iowa's Alvaro Folgueiras with a game-best six rebounds.

Iowa shot 50% compared to 55.3% for Ohio State. Manyawu's layup off 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 seized control with a 17-3 run in between. Thornton sizzled during that stretch, contributing 12 points that featured a personal streak of 10 straight over 1:58.

Ohio State overcame a sluggish start from the floor to take a 34-30 lead into halftime. The Buckeyes began 1-for-7, including 0-for-3 from long range, before closing the half on an 11-for-14 tear.

Tilly scored 12 points before the break while Bynum chipped in eight, helping the Buckeyes to a 36-20 overall advantage 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 prevailed by 12 points at home on Jan. 23 before rolling to an 82-61 road victory on Feb. 8.

--Field Level Media