COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio State held off a late comeback by Virginia Tech to win, 81-73, in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament on Saturday night at Value City Arena.

The Hokies, who trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half, got within three with less than five minutes to go in the contest when Lynn Kidd made a lay-up and drew a foul. Felix Okpara’s dunk with 2:59 left made it 71-64 and helped put the game out of reach of Virginia Tech.

“We lean on our maturity and collective toughness during those stretches,” head coach Jake Diebler said. “This group has really grown together and we’ve shown a toughness now. Certainly throughout games and specifically end of games.”

Jamison Battle led the Buckeyes with 21 points, including 17-for-18 from the free throw line, and ten rebounds, while Hunter Cattoor scored 18 points in his final game in a Hokie uniform.

OSU guard Bruce Thornton appeared to reaggravate an ankle injury suffered in the Buckeyes’ last game against Cornell. Thornton fell to the floor and hobbled back to the bench late in the second half after scoring 12 points and seven assists for the Buckeyes. Diebler clarified in his postgame press conference that he may have gotten hit in the thigh but will be evaluated.

“Certainly I’m not a doctor,” Diebler said. “But he’s with our group right now getting a good recovery.”

Ohio State advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT and will face the winner of Sunday’s second round game between Georgia and Wake Forest. Should the Bulldogs win, the Buckeyes will host. If Wake Forest wins, OSU will go to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The quarterfinal will take place Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

“We’re just focused on what’s next,” Battle said. “There’s opportunities out there. Each game, each day is an opportunity for us to have another go around with these guys because in the end, it’s not going to be the same. There’s guys moving on, there’s guys leaving. That’s the beauty of college basketball and that’s also the harsh reality of it.”