With the score tied 44-all midway through the second half Wednesday night, Ohio State freshman point guard JaQuan Lyle reached his hand in and got a steal in the backcourt, taking the ball from Northern Illinois’ Jaylen Key, who had just secured a defensive point guard.
Lyle gathered the ball then quickly dished it toward the basket where he found his teammate, Jae’Sean Tate. The Buckeyes’ de-facto captain did the rest of the work, scoring inside while getting fouled to give Ohio State a two-point edge. After the media timeout, Tate made his free throw and then redshirt sophomore Kam Williams knocked in a 3-pointer on the next possession.