This season for the Ohio State basketball team has been one of highs and lows so far as the the team searches for consistency. The Buckeyes have wins over Kentucky and Texas, but have also experienced blowout losses to Maryland and Auburn.
There’s a core nucleus there, but the newer, talented players are still finding a way to fit together and become the best they can collectively be. Still, when the offense is clicking, the Buckeyes can put up a lot of points.
We saw that again in a 103-83 win over Indiana State in Value City Arena on Sunday afternoon. The game was tight all the way up until the first media timeout before the Buckeyes went on a little 9-0 run to provide a 24-15 cushion halfway through the first half. However, the Sycamores, kept things close with some hot shooting, eventually tying the score at 46 before hitting the break down by just five points, 52-47. Bruce Thornton led the way for the Scarlet and Gray in the first half with 17 points.
Ohio State came out of the second half and took advantage of some foul trouble on the Indiana State side and got out to a comfortable lead and more or less held onto things from there for the twenty point victory.
Thornton was the star in this one. He added to his big first half by finishing with 33 points total on 11-of-16 shooting (4-of-7 from beyond the arc), while going 7-of-8 from the free throw line. He also chipped in six rebounds, three assists and one steal, and committed just one turnover despite being the team’s main ball-handler again.
In fact, Ohio State on the whole took very good care of the basketball, turning it over just six times for the entire duration of the game. On the other hand, its defense forced Indiana State into 19 turnovers, resulting in a 61 to 54 advantage in shooting opportunities. The Buckeyes also enjoyed a significant gap with points in the paint by tallying 50 to just 24 for the Sycamores.
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Five Buckeyes finished in double figures. In addition to Thornton, Ques Glover (15), Aaron Bradshaw (13), Devin Royal (13), and John Mobley Jr. (11) all scored over ten points.
With the victory, Ohio State improves its record to 9-4, and will next prepare to take on Michigan State at home on Friday as Big Ten play begins in earnest.
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