The Buckeyes wouldn't get off to the best of starts as far as shooting goes in this one. Their first basket came with 16:44 left in the first half, a Trevor Thompson layup. The Buckeyes would go into the under-16 timeout down 5-3.
After jumping out to a 9-3 lead, Ohio State was able to trim the Bears' lead to 13-12. Mercer was shooting just 35 percent from the field up until that point, but Ohio State wasn't any better, shooting 33 percent, and going 0-for-5 from deep.
The Buckeyes tied the game at 13 apiece after a Trevor Thompson free throw with just under nine minutes remaining, only to see Jestin Lewis help the Bears regain the lead with a three-pointer.