Lighty led OSU with 18 (AP: Vernon)Looking to make up ground in the Big Ten race, the Buckeyes rode a stout defense en route to a 34-22 halftime lead and never looked back posting a 60-51 home win over #16 Wisconsin tonight in the Schott.
The D held Wisconsin to 40% from the floor and triggered a decisive 15-4 run giving the Buckeyes a commanding 49-34 lead with 8:42 to play after Wisconsin had cut OSU's 12 point halftime lead to 34-30 early in the second half. Evan Turner fueled the run with six of his 15 points and an assist on a Lighty layup while the Tenacious D forced the Badgers into 2/9 shooting with two turnovers.Saddled with foul trouble, Turner played just six minutes in the first half after picking up a nickel-dimer with OSU trailing 10-9. Impressively, the rest of the Buckeyes picked up the slack, especially David Lighty, who tallied 12 first half points on his way to a game high 18 as OSU outscored Wisconsin 25-10 with Turner on the pine until halftime.
Lighty was a beast driving the lane against slower defenders leading to high percentage shots (7/10) and he also got it done at the line converting 3/4. Wil Buford had an off night from the floor (3/12) but he didn't let it effect his defense as illustrated by his 12 boards and two steals. Buford also had three dimes in what was a well rounded effort. Though he still sometimes has a problem with taking quick shots, the kid's basketball IQ is really developing.
Jon Diebler complemented Buford's seven points with eight of his own (2/5) but he didn't do much else, which is customary for him against that tough Badger man to man. Dallas Lauderdale finally showed up on the glass collecting six caroms while adding six points on the strength of an impressive 2/3 from the line. Kyle Madsen also played 13 key minutes and his baseline jumper continues to be a factor (3/3, 6 pts).
The win improves OSU to 3-3 in conference with Northwestern coming to town Tuesday night. That won't be the easy chore it usually is as evidenced by the Wildcats win over Purdue tonight in Evanston. Still, you have to feel good about how this team is playing with Turner back in the lineup.
Comments
Great win tonight. I never lost the faith in this team. I thought the one of the keys was PJ hill coming in to guard Hughes after Turner picked up his second terrible foul. Hughes had 8 at that point in the 1st half with 14 mins left he would finish with 8 in the half. Great job PJ im sure 11W's noticed your effort.
Should start next week in the top 15.
They shoulda had Titus raining in from outside...
Nice win for the Bucks.
Um...."raining it"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Wonderful win. Is it possible that Turner missing some games was a good thing for the rest of the team?
Defense last night was as good as it has been all year and frustrated the Badgers at times.
Buford was big on the boards and the Lauderdale blocks had them hesitant to bring it inside.
Only complaint is Diebler. The guy is just not a Big10 player. How do you get your shot blocked from 3 point land? That said, this team would be really tough to beat if he could score around 12 a game and Buford was a little more consistant.
Near sell-out crowd and the students did their part, but until the people on the sides realize this isn't a golf match and open their mouths, it is never going to be raucous crowd.
great win indeed. this team is not deep, but it has chemistry and more importantly, everyone's role is pretty well defined. this will pay huge dividends when the tournament comes around. give matta some credit, as he has done a good job keeping things together. i thought his coaching job at purdue was outstanding. he doesn't panic, and the guys seem to play hard for him. diebs is a role player, so i would cut him some slack. you can't fault him for being slow. i've been critical of him for not taking it to the basket, and he's starting to do that so i'm encouraged. buford is the key in my opinion. if he can broaden his game with rebounding and defense it will add a lot to the team. he did that yesterday and you saw the result. i wouldn't be surprised to see them go on a little tear here in the next few weeks. nice to see.
I totally agree,Tampa...Hill did a great job on Hughes...I was in a rush an accidentally glossed over his contribution..
I owe props to both Lighty & Diebler...Lighty probably played his best game to date...in control, few turnovers & made his shots in close. Diebler put the ball on the floor & either made points or was able to dish to create easy shots. Lauderdale & Madsen deserved some praise as well. Real team effort !
Their athletic ability covers up some real flaws like lack of communication on rebounds, hands of stone, and bullet passes when touch is needed. Hope that doesn't haunt.
And where was Simmons?
If Lighty can emerge as a solid scoring contributor, this team can be really good. I predicted a slow start from Lighty, due to injury. I don't think he's nearly reached his peak. Could be one of the better players in the B10 next year.
Hello AP Top 25...i've missed your scent
THAT is the funniest thing I have EVER seen!
wow, that was creepy
I expect nothing short of 6 straight conference wins coming up.
FYI... the basketball scores need to be updated. ;)
Appreciate your opinion, sir, but shut up. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/...
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Oh, 11W must have removed that comment i was replying to..making me look like an idiot posting a "?" for nothing. :)
Ha. Another foot in mouth moment from TLB.
That was hilarious. The fundamentals montage was awesome!