Liddell scores 19 to lead No. 22 Buckeyes past feisty Irish

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – E.J. Liddell led five Ohio State players in double figures with 19 points as the 22nd-ranked Buckeyes rallied from 11 points down in the second half and held off Notre Dame 90-85 Tuesday night in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Justice Seuing and C.J. Walker each had 16 points, Duane Washington Jr. added 13 and Justin Ahrens 12 as the Buckeyes improved to 4-0 by hitting 11 of 23 3-pointers and 21 of 24 free throws. Prentiss Hubb led the Fighting Irish (1-2) with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including 5 of 9 from beyond the 3-point line. Nate Laszewski had 17 points, Dane Goodwin 16 and Cormac Ryan 15, all in the first half The Irish finished the first half with an 8-0 run, holding the Buckeyes scoreless for the final 3:18 and taking a 42-34 lead to the break. Hubb keyed the final run with a 12-footer and then a steal before feeding Laszewski for a slam with 32.4 seconds to go. Ryan’s 15 points came on 5-of-7 shooting but he got only one shot in the second half. The Irish lead grew to 55-44 on a two free thows by Laszewski with 14:38 left. But the Buckeyes wouldn’t go away, going on a 16-6 run over the next 5½ minutes to pull to 61-60. Walker then made two free throws after Durham fouled to give Ohio State a 62-61 lead with 8:44 to go. Hubb’s 3-pointer gave the Irish a 70-69 lead with 5:41 remaining before Ohio State finished on a 21-15 run. BIG PICTURE Ohio State: The Buckeyes, who had Saturday’s home game with Alabama A&M cancelled because of A&M’s COVID-19 issues, were making their first road trip of the season. They open their Big Ten season Dec. 16 at Purdue. Notre Dame: After having three previous home games cancelled by COVID-19 issues involving those schools, the Fighting Irish were coming off 78-70 home victory Sunday against Detroit Mercy and playing only their third game since opening the season with an 80-70 loss at Michigan State Nov. 28. UP NEXT Ohio State: Sunday at home against Cleveland State before visiting Purdue. Notre Dame: At retooling Kentucky on Saturday. ___ More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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