Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Phil Harrison

Ohio State basketball beats Dayton in charity exhibition

Awaken Ohio State basketball fans, it’s almost hoops season on the banks of the Olentangy despite the football team still taking names on the gridiron. In fact, we’ve already seen Big Ten basketball media days. And in a further step toward the start of the season, the men got on the court Sunday for an exhibition charity event on the road against the Dayton Flyers.

It was really the first public look at the team, including a number of newcomers, and on top of that, it was a winning look, with the Buckeyes winning by a score of 78-70.

An offer for Buckeyes fans

For the best local Columbus news, sports, entertainment and culture coverage, subscribe to The Columbus Dispatch.

It wasn’t a true game-type environment, but pretty close. The final score was there to see, but none of the stats in the box score count and players couldn’t foul out in the sold out in the UD Arena.

But back to the game. It was a revealing show for the Buckeyes with another year of plenty of new faces. It was a tight affair pretty much throughout, with OSU holding just a three point lead at halftime, then extending it out late to win fairly comfortably.

All 11 scholarship players that were available played, with Bruce Thorton leading the way with 21 points. Minnesota transfer, Jamison Battle, showed that he’s going to be counted on to score this season with 15 points, and Roddy Gayle also finished in double figures with 12.

The game was held to benefit mental health and dubbed, “Take hope to the hoop,” with the proceeds from the game reportedly raising over $500,000 for mental health initiatives.

Now, that’s a cause worthy of a televised (ESPN+) exhibition if I’ve ever heard of one.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.