Bryce McGowens and C.J. Wilcher combined for 41 points as resurgent Nebraska upset No. 23 Ohio State 78-70 on Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio.
McGowens scored 14 of his 26 points in the second half after the Cornhuskers (9-21, 3-16 Big Ten) led by four at halftime.
Wilcher had 15 points and Alonzo Verge Jr. added 13 as Nebraska won its second straight following a 1-14 stretch.
E.J. Liddell led the short-handed Buckeyes (18-9, 11-7) with 27 points.
Malaki Branham had 16 points before fouling out with 25 seconds left as Ohio State lost its second game in a row and fell to 12-2 at home this season.
The contest was a makeup of a Jan. 22 game postponed due to COVID-19 issues.
Ohio State forward Zed Key (8.3 points, 5.4 rebound) did not play due to an ankle injury sustained Sunday at Maryland. Also, starting forward Kyle Young had to leave the game in first half because of illness and did not return. He finished with two points in eight minutes.
Nebraska was coming off it most impressive win of the season, 93-70 at Penn State on Sunday.
The Cornhuskers continued their strong play in the first half, although there were times the Buckeyes threatened to pull away.
Ohio State had an early 7-0 run for 15-12 lead and later got 3-pointers on three consecutive trips down the court from Branham, Jimmy Sotos and Justin Ahrens to go up 26-19.
Nebraska finally retook the lead, 31-30, on a McGowens jumper, and he quickly followed with a layup for a three-point advantage as the Cornhuskers scored eight unanswered points.
Wilcher and Liddell each had 13 points to lead their teams at the half.
The Cornhuskers were 15 of 27 (55.6 percent) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes while the Buckeyes made 13 of 32 field-goal attempts (40.6 percent).
The Buckeyes remain home to finish the regular season against Michigan State on Thursday and Michigan on Sunday.
Nebraska plays its third straight road game on Sunday against No. 10 Wisconsin in its finale.
–Field Level Media
