Ohio State is opening Big Ten play on the road against Penn State Sunday night and found itself late in the back half of the first twenty minutes. OSU used solid defense and efficient offense to take a 41-30 lead at the break after taking a bit to find a groove.
Penn State started out pretty hot from the field and went up 12-5 early on, but it didn’t last. In a positive development Chris Holtmann and staff, the Buckeyes got some key contributions from the perimeter after the Nittany Lions came out looking to double in the post. Guards Malaki Branham and Jamari Wheeler lead OSU with seven points each. Wheeler has been looked especially aggressive coming back to a school he played for, seemingly trying to prove a point. He is 3-of-7 from the floor and has four rebounds.
It took a while for E.J. Liddell to get going, but he too found a late burst and went into the locker room with 6 points and 4 rebounds. OSU has also been knocking down shots from beyond the arc to the tune of 7-of-17 (41.2%).
Meanwhile, on the other sideline, Penn State has gotten a bulk of its production from two players, guard Jalen Pickett (10 points), and forward Seth Lundy (11 points).
Both teams ended the half with six turnovers, but Ohio State is winning the battle on the boards, outrebounding the Nittany Lions 17 to 11, and outshooting them 55.6% to 44.4%.
So far so good!#Team123 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/f39OV2clZr
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 6, 2021
While Ohio State has to like how it responded late in the half, the Buckeyes can’t take their foot off the gas. It’s a Big Ten road game, and you can almost bank on Penn State making a run in the second half.
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