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Buckeyes Find Footing and Run Away From Evansville 80-30
Ohio State kicked it into gear midway through the first and turned what was a tied game into a runway as the Buckeyes downed Evansville 80-30 on Tuesday night at Value City Arena.
The win lifts the Buckeyes to 3-1 on the season. The 30 points are also the fewest allowed in a game since holding Samford to just 22 points in November of 2008.
Sophomore forward Devin Royal led the way with his first career double-double as he notched career highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds. He was 7-of-9 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the free throw line.
Meechie Johnson Jr. made three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points while freshmen John Mobley Jr. reached double figures yet again, finishing with 11 points and three rebounds. Point guard Bruce Thornton had a tough shooting night but orchestrated the offense well, dishing out seven assists with zero turnovers.
After starting the game slow from the floor, the Buckeyes shot 64 percent over the final three quarters of the game, including 70 percent in the second half and making 12 of their final 13 shots to pull away. On the other end, the defensive pressure was there all night as the Purple Aces shot just 19 percent and was just 3-of-27 from the three-point line.
The score was tied 12-12 with seven minutes to go in the opening half when a Mobley Jr. jumper sparked a 16-2 run to end the half. Royal had half of the points during the run.
Micah Parrish opened the second half by scoring the Buckeyes’ first six points as the lead grew to 28 points with less than 10 minutes to go. That's when the Buckeyes missed just one of their final thirteen shots to provide the final margin of 50 points. Freshman guard Colin White made both of his three-point attempts down the stretch to record the first points of his career while fellow freshman Ivan Njegovan also made all three of his shots in the final three minutes, including a three-pointer to finish with seven points, notching his first career points as well.
Up Next
The Buckeyes continue their homestand on Friday when they host Campbell at 6 p.m. on BTN. This will be just the second meeting all-time between the teams as the Buckeyes won 91-64 on Nov. 26, 2014, in Columbus.
