Ohio State takes Notre Dame 67-62
INDIANAPOLIS - Drive after drive, Evan Turner showed no hesitation, no fear to take the ball inside against Notre Dame's big men.
The 6-foot-7 sophomore, equally adept handling the ball and challenging for a rebound, scored a career-high 28 points Saturday, and Ohio State spoiled Luke Harangody's return to the lineup with a 67-62 victory over the Fighting Irish.
It was the unbeaten Buckeyes' second straight upset of a ranked opponent.
"I've been driving (to the basket) ever since I was a kid. It's not my first rodeo," said Turner, who was 11 of 16 from the field and had 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, all team highs. "I practice how I play. If I drive, if I see someone, I kick it out; if I don't, I just go ahead."
Turner also had a game-high 6 turnovers, but that was the only thing he messed up.
Harangody, who was back after missing two games with pneumonia, led Notre Dame (6-2) with 25 points and 16 rebounds, but Ohio State (5-0) took a 30-28 lead at halftime and built the margin to as many as 10 points in the second half.
A 3-pointer by Tory Jackson pulled Notre Dame within 63-62 with 26 seconds to go, but Turner and Jeremie Simmons hit 2 free throws each in the closing seconds.
Freshman B.J. Mullens added a season-high 11 points for the Buckeyes, who were coming off a 73-68 upset at No. 21 Miami, when the Buckeyes came from 14 points down at halftime.
Harangody lost 12 pounds during his illness and returned home to Schererville, Ind., during his recovery last week. He rejoined the Irish for practice Thursday, was given the OK to play Friday and was back in his familiar spot in the lineup for tip-off on Saturday in the second game of the Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase doubleheader at the new Lucas Oil Stadium.
"I felt good in practice," he said. "Once I got out there, it was easy to forget about everything else. Toward the end of the game (I felt tired), but overall I felt pretty good out there."
Kyle McAlarney, who averaged 32.7 points over the past three games, was 1 of 6 from the field and had 2 points and only Harangody had more than 3 points for the Irish in the first half.
"They got us out of our offensive rhythm," McAlarney said. "We weren't in a good flow, weren't scoring well."