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Ohio State men blow past Central Michigan 88-61 led by Bruce Thornton’s 25-point night
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes have gone streaking, winning their fifth game in a row Wednesday night.
Riding a four-game winning streak and suddenly the owner of a nice, tall trophy, the Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1) welcomed the Central Michigan Chippewas (2-5) to the Schott Wednesday night for another B1G-MAC showdown. Ohio State beat Western Michigan earlier this month to start their trio of MAC games in the non-conference and will face off with in-state foe Miami a week from Wednesday to close out the three-pack.
CMU entered this game as the No. 304 team in the nation according to KenPom — the worst team on Ohio State’s schedule, if you trust the scholarly mind of Ken Pomeroy. The ‘Chips were beaten up pretty good by Oklahoma and Florida State before facing Ohio State, but also have an upset win over South Florida this year. CMU was picked to finish last in the MAC in the preseason.
Third-year head coach Tony Barbee went with a starting five of Brian Taylor, Cayden Vasko, Derrick Butler, Anthony Pritchard, and Hunter Harding. Chris Holtmann went with the same five he’s used all season — Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Jamison Battle, Evan Mahaffey, and Felix Okpara.
It was a lethargic start for both teams in this one, with the Chippewas scoring just two points over the first four-plus minutes of play. Ohio State jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead, but it had a hard time speeding things up against a CMU team that is ranked No. 299 in defensive efficiency. The Buckeyes were hitting at a reasonable clip, but only taking six shots in the first five or so minutes of play means they weren’t creating open looks as quickly as they’d like.
Central Michigan hung tight to the Buckeyes, trailing 22-20 at the under-eight media timeout. After looking so good in Florida, Ohio State looked sleepy and unaware on the defensive end for the first 14 minutes of the first half. But the switch was flipped around the six-minute mark, and the Buckeyes outscored CMU 19-8 over the final 6:18 of the first half to head to the locker room with a 41-29 lead. Thornton led Ohio State with 19 first-half points, whilst his teammates combined for the other 22. Davis, Pritchard, and Taylor each had seven points for CMU, which shot 38.7% overall in the first half.
The second half was all Buckeyes. The scarlet and gray outscored the maroon and gold 22-5 over the first eight-plus minutes of the second half, taking a 63-34 lead into the under-12 media timeout. Thornton and Gayle continued to stir the drink and set the tone with their ability to penetrate below the basket and then either dish it off in tight windows or score themselves. Chris Holtmann even went with the never-before-used lineup of Dale Bonner, Taison Chatman, Devin Royal, Evan Mahaffey, and Zed Key for a stretch once the lead ballooned to 29.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, Ohio State had wrapped up a 88-61 win over yet another directional Michigan school. Thornton led Ohio State with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting — his third 20-point game of the season. Okpara, Gayle, Battle, and Devin Royal all scored in double digits as well for the Buckeyes. Jemal Davis led CMU with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
If you weren’t around tonight to catch Ohio State extend its winning streak to five games, here are a few key moments and plays that helped carry the Buckeyes to victory:
Key hasn’t played enough minutes per game to qualify for statistical leaderboards this season, but if he did, his 71.4% shooting percentage would lead the Big Ten conference heading into Wednesday night’s game. The senior big has maximized the opportunities he’s been given and is knocking on the door for more minutes while Felix Okpara (4.8 PPG) has not been as much of an offensive factor.
Key checked in for the first time at the 15:50 mark tonight, and scored on his first touch two minutes later. After Battle missed a three-point attempt, Key was able to grab the board and score over the top for his first bucket of the evening.
Junior forward Jemal Davis capped off a 7-2 CMU run with a three-pointer, giving the Chippewas a 12-11 lead seven minutes into the game.
However, Thornton, who had one of his best halves of basketball of the season, got to the other end and knocked down a three of his own 12 seconds later, putting the Buckeyes back ahead, 14-12. Thornton then scored on each of Ohio State’s next two possessions, pushing the lead to 18-12 less than two minutes later.
Vasko’s hoop-and-the-harm got Central Michigan back within one point with 6:35 left in the first half, but that would be the last CMU bucket for quite some time. The Buckeyes responded with an assertive 15-0 run over 3:33 — highlighted by seven points from Thornton in a 60-second span — that put them up, 37-21. Thornton had one of his best all-around halves of basketball ever, scoring 19 first-half points on 7-of-9 shooting
In a game that always has been and always will be determined by runs, the Buckeyes put a few together Wednesday night that were absolute back-breakers for their directional Michigan foes. After closing the first half on a 19-8 run, Ohio State opened the second half with a quick 9-0 run to take that 12-point lead and turn it into a 21-point lead. Gayle scored his second basket of the night, followed by consecutive buckets from Thornton, and then a Battle three-pointer from the deep corner in front of Ohio State’s bench 3:19 into the second half.
Gayle was impactful in the first half without scoring the ball, dishing out four assists, grabbing three rebounds, and recording one steal while scoring just two points on 1-of-2 shooting.
He opened it up a bit in the second half, scoring seven points over the first six minutes of the second half. In the blink of an eye, Gayle was knocking on the door of another double-digit game, as well as a handful of rebounds and assists.
Key has exceeded expectations in pretty much every way this season, and we’ve made sure to give him his flowers. But everyone has their “D’oh!” moments, and Zed had one in the second half of tonight’s contest.
With Ohio State leading 67-43 and 9:39 remaining in the game, Thornton swung the ball over to Key on the right wing, who hoisted his second three-point attempt of the season. It was too long, and CMU’s Paul McMillan grabbed the rebound.
Key raced down the floor, and eight seconds later lost his man and wound up fouling Jemal Davis on a three-point attempt from the far corner. Holtmann immediately had Okpara check in for Key, who had a brutal eight-second stretch on the floor.
With the win, Ohio State has now won five games in a row for the first time since the 2021-2022 season. The Buckeyes will have a chance to extend that streak over the next two weeks, with very winnable games against Minnesota, Miami, and Penn State.
During the 2021-2022 season, Ohio State beat Duke, Penn State, Towson, Wisconsin, and Nebraska from November 30 to January 2. The Buckeyes did not string together five wins in a row for the remainder of that season, or the entirety of the 2022-2023 season.
Ohio State (6-1) has three days off and then will welcome the Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2) to Columbus on Sunday evening in the Big Ten opener. At No. 133, Minnesota is the lowest-rated Big Ten team in KenPom, and was picked to finish last in the Big Ten this season. Minnesota only won two conference games last season, but one of them was on the road at Ohio State on January 12.
Ohio State’s game against Minnesota will tip off at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on BTN.
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Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes have gone streaking, winning their fifth game in a row Wednesday night.
Riding a four-game winning streak and suddenly the owner of a nice, tall trophy, the Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1) welcomed the Central Michigan Chippewas (2-5) to the Schott Wednesday night for another B1G-MAC showdown. Ohio State beat Western Michigan earlier this month to start their trio of MAC games in the non-conference and will face off with in-state foe Miami a week from Wednesday to close out the three-pack.
CMU entered this game as the No. 304 team in the nation according to KenPom — the worst team on Ohio State’s schedule, if you trust the scholarly mind of Ken Pomeroy. The ‘Chips were beaten up pretty good by Oklahoma and Florida State before facing Ohio State, but also have an upset win over South Florida this year. CMU was picked to finish last in the MAC in the preseason.
Third-year head coach Tony Barbee went with a starting five of Brian Taylor, Cayden Vasko, Derrick Butler, Anthony Pritchard, and Hunter Harding. Chris Holtmann went with the same five he’s used all season — Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Jamison Battle, Evan Mahaffey, and Felix Okpara.
It was a lethargic start for both teams in this one, with the Chippewas scoring just two points over the first four-plus minutes of play. Ohio State jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead, but it had a hard time speeding things up against a CMU team that is ranked No. 299 in defensive efficiency. The Buckeyes were hitting at a reasonable clip, but only taking six shots in the first five or so minutes of play means they weren’t creating open looks as quickly as they’d like.
Central Michigan hung tight to the Buckeyes, trailing 22-20 at the under-eight media timeout. After looking so good in Florida, Ohio State looked sleepy and unaware on the defensive end for the first 14 minutes of the first half. But the switch was flipped around the six-minute mark, and the Buckeyes outscored CMU 19-8 over the final 6:18 of the first half to head to the locker room with a 41-29 lead. Thornton led Ohio State with 19 first-half points, whilst his teammates combined for the other 22. Davis, Pritchard, and Taylor each had seven points for CMU, which shot 38.7% overall in the first half.
Buckeyes on top through.@Bruce2T_ leads the way with
points so far tonight #Team125 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ExAnFMAqEA
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 30, 2023
The second half was all Buckeyes. The scarlet and gray outscored the maroon and gold 22-5 over the first eight-plus minutes of the second half, taking a 63-34 lead into the under-12 media timeout. Thornton and Gayle continued to stir the drink and set the tone with their ability to penetrate below the basket and then either dish it off in tight windows or score themselves. Chris Holtmann even went with the never-before-used lineup of Dale Bonner, Taison Chatman, Devin Royal, Evan Mahaffey, and Zed Key for a stretch once the lead ballooned to 29.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, Ohio State had wrapped up a 88-61 win over yet another directional Michigan school. Thornton led Ohio State with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting — his third 20-point game of the season. Okpara, Gayle, Battle, and Devin Royal all scored in double digits as well for the Buckeyes. Jemal Davis led CMU with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
If you weren’t around tonight to catch Ohio State extend its winning streak to five games, here are a few key moments and plays that helped carry the Buckeyes to victory:
Zed Key, always open
Key hasn’t played enough minutes per game to qualify for statistical leaderboards this season, but if he did, his 71.4% shooting percentage would lead the Big Ten conference heading into Wednesday night’s game. The senior big has maximized the opportunities he’s been given and is knocking on the door for more minutes while Felix Okpara (4.8 PPG) has not been as much of an offensive factor.
Key checked in for the first time at the 15:50 mark tonight, and scored on his first touch two minutes later. After Battle missed a three-point attempt, Key was able to grab the board and score over the top for his first bucket of the evening.
‘Chips take an early lead, but Thornton takes it right back
Junior forward Jemal Davis capped off a 7-2 CMU run with a three-pointer, giving the Chippewas a 12-11 lead seven minutes into the game.
However, Thornton, who had one of his best halves of basketball of the season, got to the other end and knocked down a three of his own 12 seconds later, putting the Buckeyes back ahead, 14-12. Thornton then scored on each of Ohio State’s next two possessions, pushing the lead to 18-12 less than two minutes later.
15-0 run puts Buckeyes back in control
Vasko’s hoop-and-the-harm got Central Michigan back within one point with 6:35 left in the first half, but that would be the last CMU bucket for quite some time. The Buckeyes responded with an assertive 15-0 run over 3:33 — highlighted by seven points from Thornton in a 60-second span — that put them up, 37-21. Thornton had one of his best all-around halves of basketball ever, scoring 19 first-half points on 7-of-9 shooting
Gone streakin’
In a game that always has been and always will be determined by runs, the Buckeyes put a few together Wednesday night that were absolute back-breakers for their directional Michigan foes. After closing the first half on a 19-8 run, Ohio State opened the second half with a quick 9-0 run to take that 12-point lead and turn it into a 21-point lead. Gayle scored his second basket of the night, followed by consecutive buckets from Thornton, and then a Battle three-pointer from the deep corner in front of Ohio State’s bench 3:19 into the second half.
Another #HotRod sighting
Gayle was impactful in the first half without scoring the ball, dishing out four assists, grabbing three rebounds, and recording one steal while scoring just two points on 1-of-2 shooting.
He opened it up a bit in the second half, scoring seven points over the first six minutes of the second half. In the blink of an eye, Gayle was knocking on the door of another double-digit game, as well as a handful of rebounds and assists.
Zed Key, to the time-out chair
Key has exceeded expectations in pretty much every way this season, and we’ve made sure to give him his flowers. But everyone has their “D’oh!” moments, and Zed had one in the second half of tonight’s contest.
With Ohio State leading 67-43 and 9:39 remaining in the game, Thornton swung the ball over to Key on the right wing, who hoisted his second three-point attempt of the season. It was too long, and CMU’s Paul McMillan grabbed the rebound.
Key raced down the floor, and eight seconds later lost his man and wound up fouling Jemal Davis on a three-point attempt from the far corner. Holtmann immediately had Okpara check in for Key, who had a brutal eight-second stretch on the floor.
Five in a row
With the win, Ohio State has now won five games in a row for the first time since the 2021-2022 season. The Buckeyes will have a chance to extend that streak over the next two weeks, with very winnable games against Minnesota, Miami, and Penn State.
During the 2021-2022 season, Ohio State beat Duke, Penn State, Towson, Wisconsin, and Nebraska from November 30 to January 2. The Buckeyes did not string together five wins in a row for the remainder of that season, or the entirety of the 2022-2023 season.
Up Next:
Ohio State (6-1) has three days off and then will welcome the Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2) to Columbus on Sunday evening in the Big Ten opener. At No. 133, Minnesota is the lowest-rated Big Ten team in KenPom, and was picked to finish last in the Big Ten this season. Minnesota only won two conference games last season, but one of them was on the road at Ohio State on January 12.
Ohio State’s game against Minnesota will tip off at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on BTN.
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