No. 15 Virginia Narrowly Escapes Ohio State in Nashville Hoops Showdown

Malik Thomas and Sam Lewis each scored 13 points and No. 15 Virginia beat Ohio State on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena in the Nashville Hoops Showdown, 70-66. The Cavaliers (22-3) extended their winning streak to six. Bruce Thornton scored 28 points for Ohio State (16-9). He also had an assist, the 500th of his career. Amare Bynum had 15 points and six rebounds for the Buckeyes in their latest nonconference game in nearly 40 years. It was tied at 37 at the half, with Virginia erasing an early Ohio State lead. Ohio State opened up a six-point lead with under 10 minutes remaining, but the Cavaliers had a 6-0 run to tie it. With just over a minute remaining, Lewis forced a turnover and then went the length of the floor for a layup to give Virginia a 65-61 lead. He then hit a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left to put the game out of reach. Prior to the game, Ohio State said John Mobley Jr. would be sidelined indefinitely due to a hand injury sustained Wednesday night against USC. Mobley started the Buckeyes’ first 24 games, averaging 15.1 points. The Cavaliers are 10-2 away from home, including 3-1 in neutral-site games. Next, Ohio State hosts Wisconsin on Tuesday night, and Virginia plays at Georgia Tech on Wednesday night. Reporting by The Associated Press.