After looking like it didn’t belong on the same court as one of the best teams in the country with a dismal showing against Auburn, the Ohio State basketball team rebounded on Tuesday night with a 95-73 blowout win over the Valparaiso Beacons.
In the first half, it looked like OSU was still trying to shake off a hangover from the weekend mess in Atlanta, leading by just seven points with about a minute to go before heading to the locker room. A lot of it had to do with point guard Bruce Thornton having to sit on the pine thanks to some foul trouble. Thankfully, the Buckeyes got a little juice in that last minute, extending the lead to 41-30 margin after the first 20 minutes.
The second half was all Ohio State as it continued to extend that lead to a comfortable margin thanks to some hot shooting and some good looks inside the paint with dribble drives. OSU outscored Valpo 52 to 32 in the paint and filled up the bucket with 63% shooting in the last 20 minutes from the floor.
When OSU is playing at the top of its game, it begins on the defensive end, and that’s what happened in this one with the Buckeyes holding Valparaiso to just 35.8% from the field.
Tuesday Night Dub ✅#Team126 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/enFegHwrEF
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 18, 2024
By far, the player of the game was forward Devin Royal. He continued his emergence in his second year as a Buckeye by scoring 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting. His ability to get to the tin also resulted in some opportunities at the free throw line where he made good on 8-of-9 attempts.
Evan Mahaffey (15), Bruce Thornton (14), and Micah Parrish (14) also scored in double figures.
With the win, Ohio State improves its record to 7-4 and will next be in action against Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
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