COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 25 Ohio State returned to the Schottenstein Center for the first time in over two weeks and put together a wire-to-wire victory, dominating St. Francis in a 96-59 victory on Saturday afternoon.
Six Buckeyes were in double-figures, including four freshmen as Ohio State (6-2) made a season-high 13 three-pointers.
Key Contributors
Felix Okpara – The Buckeye big man posted his first-career double-double off the bench as Okpara totaled 10 points while adding 12 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. Additionally, he added two steals and a block to his totals.
Buckeye Bench – Along with Okpara, the Ohio State bench provided a huge spark throughout the contest. The Buckeyes held a 40-point advantage in bench points over the course of the afternoon. Five different bench players contributed points to the effort, including 15 from freshman Brice Sensabaugh, 12 from freshman Roddy Gayle, Jr. and eight from Tanner Holden.
Zed Key – Coming off a 21-point game against Duke, Key started slowly, notching just two points in the first half. However, Key sparked the Buckeyes in the second stanza, posting nine of his 11 points. He finished the game a perfect 5-for-5 from the field while adding five rebounds and a block.
Stats that mattered
+29 – Despite only leading by eight at the halftime break, the Buckeyes blew the game open by outscoring St. Francis 52-23 in the second half. Ohio State held the Red Flash to 22 percent shooting in the closing 20 minutes, while knocking down half of their own shots.
Assists – The unselfish play by Chris Holtman’s squad continued as the Buckeyes assisted on 20 of their 35 made baskets. Everyone was sharing the rock as six players collected at least two helpers, led by four from graduate Sean McNeil.
Rebounds – Ohio State dominated the glass, outrebounding the Red Flash 47-25, which included holding a 17-5 advantage in offensive rebounds. Throughout the game, the Buckeyes allowed just four second-chance points, while scoring 17 of their own.
Three-point shooting – The Buckeyes were red-hot from deep in the game, finishing the contest 13-of-23 from distance. Freshman Bruce Thornton knocked down three triples en route to 13 points. Sensabaugh also added a trio of threes while McNeil and Gayle each posted a pair.
How It Happened
Ohio State led from beginning to end, jumping out to a 13-4 advantage in the opening minutes. Senior transfer Isaac Likekele got the Buckeyes rolling, notching six early points on 3-for-3 shooting.
Putting together multiple runs in the half, Ohio State would use a seven-point swing, and an 8-0 run to push their lead to the biggest of the half at 27-11. The Red Flash would not go away in the opening 20 minutes, however, closing the advantage to single digits (44-36) by the break.
The hosts dominated the second half of action as the Buckeye bench scored 35 of their 48 points in the final 20 minutes. The run of the game came with Ohio State leading by just 10 (53-43) with 16:37 to play in regulation. Six-straight points, including a fast-break dunk, by Key got the ball rolling for the hosts, and it would not slow down as Ohio State strung together a 20-4 run to grow the lead to 26 (73-47) with nine minutes remaining. Outside of the opening six points from Key, the rest of the run was fueled by the bench as Sensabaugh, Holden, Gayle and Okpara all got into the action.
The rest of the game was never in doubt as the lead grew to as many as 39 before settling on the 96-59 final.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will remain at home next week to open Big Ten play against Rutgers on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
