Ohio State wanted no part of the recent Big Ten struggles over the last few days.
Playing without junior starting forward Keita Bates-Diop for the second-straight game, the Buckeyes cruised past Jackson State on Wednesday night, 78-47.
| 1 | 2 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JACKSON STATE | 23 | 24 | 47 |
| OHIO STATE | 40 | 38 | 78 |
Ohio State (5-0) was led by senior forward Marc Loving, who scored a team-high 19 points. Kam Williams chipped in 15 in his second-straight start and JaQuan Lyle recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists for the Buckeyes.
"It's always good to see the ball go in and get a little rhythm going," Loving said afterward. "It's always good to see some baskets go in finally."
A slight cold spell at the start of the second half dropped Ohio State's field goal percentage as the Buckeyes began the second frame making just 2 of their first 12 shots. For the game, however, Ohio State finished at 55 percent from the floor and made 13-for-27 attempts from behind the 3-point line.
The Buckeyes held their opponent to just 30 percent shooting from the field as the Tigers simply couldn't buy a bucket all evening. Jackson State also committed 20 turnovers in the game.
After a 9-0 run gave Jackson State a five-point lead early in the first half, this one was all Ohio State. The Buckeyes went on a 14-0 run of their own — sparked by two 3-pointers from Williams and one each from JaQuan Lyle and Andre Wesson — to quickly erase that mark and it was pretty much over from there.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | JACKSON STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 78 | POINTS | 47 |
| 26–47 (55%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 18–61 (30%) |
| 13–27 (48%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 7–23 (30%) |
| 13–20 (65%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 4–6 (67%) |
| 16 | TURNOVERS | 20 |
| 32 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 37 |
| 4 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 15 |
| 28 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 22 |
| 24 | BENCH POINTS | 7 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 1 |
| 8 | STEALS | 4 |
| 20 | ASSISTS | 9 |
Ohio State led 40-23 at halftime.
Williams scored 12 first-half points and was a perfect 5-for-5 shooting from the field. Marc Loving scored eight while Trevor Thompson and Jae'Sean Tate each added six first-half points. Lyle ran the show comfortably with eight first-half assists as Ohio State recorded 11 assists on 15 made field goals in the first half.
A 15-0 run by the Buckeyes stretched a 23-20 lead out to 18 and Ohio State's largest lead of the first half was 19 at 40-21. Loving scored six points during that spurt and Lyle hit Thompson for back-to-back alley-oops.
Overall, the Buckeyes shot 15-for-23 (65.2 percent) from the field in the first half and were 4-for-7 from behind the 3-point line. After a hot start, Jackson State finished the opening 20 minutes just 9-for-29 (31 percent) from the field and 4-for-11 from downtown.
"I thought we were pretty active defensively again tonight," Ohio State head coach Thad Matta said. "They're a team that likes to penetrate as much as they can and I thought we did a great job of slowing the penetration down."
Up next for Ohio State is Marshall. The Buckeyes host the Thundering Herd on Friday at 7 p.m.
