In order to hang around with Ohio State on Sunday, Purdue Fort Wayne needed to connect from beyond the arc. In the Mastodons' upset of Indiana last year, they hit 17-of-30 3-pointers.
For a while, they kept it close, earning second-chance opportunities and hitting triples. Purdue Fort Wayne hit 6-of-16 first-half 3-point attempts against Ohio State and held a 20-18 rebounding edge in the opening half, which included seven offensive rebounds. But once the Buckeyes got into an offensive rhythm to begin the second half, they began to pull away.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 41 | 66 | 107 |
| PURDUE FORT WAYNE | 34 | 27 | 61 |
Kaleb Wesson hit a pair of free throws just a little over a minute into the second half to give Ohio State a seven-point lead, and C.J. Jackson followed up by hitting back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers, which pushed the lead to 14 points.
The Buckeyes rode a career-high 25 points from Jackson to a 107-61 win in their home opener on Sunday. The win moved them to 2-0. They will take on Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska, on Thursday.
In 29 minutes, Jackson hit 8-of-11 shots, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. He also had six rebounds and a team-high five assists. His second-half spurt of 3-pointers spurred the Buckeyes' second-half outburst.
In the final 20 minutes, Ohio State scored 66 points. And after allowing 36 points in the first half, the Buckeyes held Purdue Fort Wayne to just 27 second-half points. Ohio State hit 60.7 percent of its shots, nearly doubling up the Mastodons' percentage of 33.8. The Buckeyes also drilled 15-of-28 3-pointers.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | PURDUE FORT WAYNE |
|---|---|---|
| 107 | POINTS | 63 |
| 34-56 (60.7%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 22-65 (33%) |
| 15-28 (53.6%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 6-27 (35%) |
| 24-28 (85.7%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 11-17 (60%) |
| 11 | TURNOVERS | 15 |
| 39 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 30 |
| 6 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 12 |
| 33 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 18 |
| 53 | BENCH POINTS | 14 |
| 5 | BLOCKS | 0 |
| 6 | STEALS | 3 |
| 21 | ASSISTS | 6 |
Playing his first-ever home game for the Buckeyes, freshman Duane Washington Jr. finished second on the team with 20 points. He hit 6-of-9 shots from beyond the arc. Luther Muhammad, a fellow freshman guard, had 12 points.
Both Jaedon LeDee and Justin Ahrens made their Ohio State debuts. LeDee subbed in for Wesson early in the game and had 16 points and four rebounds. He was 12-for-14 from the free-throw line. Ahrens entered the game late and did not score.
Kyle Young, who started the first home game of his career, had seven points, three assists and two rebounds. He also hit his first career 3-point attempt near the beginning of the game.
Purdue Fort Wayne guard John Konchar has been first-team All-Summit League the past three seasons, but he struggled to produce consistent offense while being guarded by Muhammad. He tied for the Mastodons' team high with 13 points.
The Buckeyes survived a scare late in the first half when Andre Wesson hit the ground hard following a failed dunk attempt.
Wesson fell backward and had a lower back strain, which left him questionable for the second half. After not joining the team on the court for second-half warm-ups, he soon accompanied his teammates on the bench. Then, with 15:21 remaining in the game, he checked back in the game. He finished with two points in 14 minutes.
