CHICAGO (AP) — Bruce Thornton had 24 points, John Mobley Jr. scored all 12 of his points in the second half, and No. 8 seed Ohio State held off a late rally by No. 9 seed Iowa for a 72-69 victory Thursday in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Ohio State (21-11) advances to play top-seeded and third-ranked Michigan in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Thornton had a personal 10-0 run to give Ohio State its largest lead of the game at 51-35 with 13:55 remaining.

But Iowa rallied down the stretch to get within 70-69 with 38.7 seconds left.

Ohio State worked the clock down before Thornton drove into the lane for a shot that rolled off the rim. Amare Bynum’s putback attempt did not go, but Ohio State secured the rebound, and Mobley was fouled before making two free throws for a three-point lead with 8 seconds left.

Iowa got past midcourt to call a timeout with 7.2 left. Brendan Hausen’s 3-point attempt from the corner did not hit the rim, but Iowa got another chance after Ohio State missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

Iowa forward Alvaro Folgueiras missed a free throw in the closing seconds, but Isaia Howard stole the rebound and ran out to the 3-point arc for a shot that hit off the back of the rim as time expired.

Bennett Stirtz led Iowa (21-12) with 17 points.

IOWA GAME NOTES

• Iowa nearly erased a 16-point second half deficit, closing to within a single point in the final minute, but the Hawkeyes Big Ten Tournament run ended with a 72-69 loss to eighth-seeded Ohio State on Thursday afternoon at the United Center. 
• The Hawkeyes trailed 66-54 with 5:10 to play before a 15-4 run to close the gap to 70-69 with 38 seconds to play.
  • Isaia Howard missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie.
• Iowa had one player land in double figures: Bennett Stirtz (17)
  • Stirtz finished with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
  • He now has 661 points this season, moving him past Andre Woolridge (645) into seventh place on Iowa’s single season scoring list. 
• Ohio State led 34-30 at the break before opening the second half on a 17-5 run to open a 51-35 lead with 13:55 left. Buckeye guard Bruce Thornton scored the first 14 points to ignite the spurt.
• The Hawkeyes responded with a 10-1 run over a 2 ½ minute stretch to cut the deficit to 59-53 with 7:29 remaining.
  • Iowa brought it within one point (70-69) with 38 seconds remaining.
• The Buckeyes shot 53.8 percent in the second half and 55.3 percent for the game and had a 36-20 advantage in paint points to move into the quarterfinals.
• After starting the game 1-for-6 from the field, Ohio State made seven consecutive field goals – all at the rim – to take a 21-20 lead. The Buckeyes made 11 of their final 14 shots of the half to take a 34-30 lead into the break.
  • Ohio State shot 57.1 percent, making 12-of-21 field goals.  The Buckeyes had a 22-8 advantage in paint points. 

Up Next

Ohio State lost both regular-season meetings with Michigan by double figures, most recently an 82-61 contest at home on Feb. 8.

The Hawkeyes will learn their postseason path Sunday during Selection Sunday. Brackets for the 2026 NCAA Tournament will be released at 5 p.m. (CT) on CBS.