Ohio State’s preseason tuneup against a Division II opponent went about as smoothly as Chris Holtmann and company could’ve hoped.
Chaminade’s 8-for-38 start from the field, including 4-for-21 from 3-point range in the first half, doomed the Silverswords as Ohio State finished the opening period on a 19-2 run that gave it a 23-point advantage at intermission. By game’s end, the Buckeyes extended that lead for a 101-57 exhibition win as the new-look Ohio State roster proved it could get the job done even without Justice Sueing (ankle) and Eugene Brown (concussion protocol).
| Team | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 46 | 55 | 101 |
| CHAMINADE | 23 | 34 | 57 |
Wright State transfer Tanner Holden came off the bench to lead the way with 25 points for Ohio State, and Zed Key poured in 15 of his own in just 16 minutes before all was said and done. The Buckeyes demonstrated a clear edge in the paint, played a far more efficient game and received major contributions from their bench in the blowout victory over an outmatched out-of-conference foe.
The Buckeyes shot nearly 30% better from the field than the Silverswords, and finished the game having converted well over half of their 3-point attempts.
First Half
Key scored six of the first 10 points for Ohio State in the opening five minutes as the Buckeyes exercised their size advantage inside. Following a coast-to-coast and-one layup by Isaac Likekele with 14:30 to go in the half, the Buckeyes opened up a 13-5 lead on the Silverswords on the back of a 13-2 run.
Ohio State went cold after that, missing its next seven shots in a row while Chaminade hit three straight as part of a 7-0 run. The next Chaminade connection tied things up 15-all as the Silverswords made up ground with outside shooting.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | CHAMINADE |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | POINTS | 57 |
| 41-74 (55.4%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 21-76 (27.6%) |
| 12-23 (52.2%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 6-33 (18.2%) |
| 7-10 (70%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 9-13 (69.2%) |
| 11 | TURNOVERS | 15 |
| 49 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 41 |
| 9 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 16 |
| 40 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 25 |
| 57 | BENCH POINTS | 13 |
| 7 | BLOCKS | 3 |
| 8 | STEALS | 6 |
| 24 | ASSISTS | 5 |
Chaminade hung with the Buckeyes for the next few minutes, but Tanner Holden helped Ohio State take over during the final 6:30. The Wright State transfer scored 10 out of 13 points for Ohio State during a two-minute span, and two subsequent jumpers from his teammates put the Buckeyes on an 11-0 run. Ohio State went up 17 points with 4:10 to play, and the Silverswords only hit one more shot before the half.
Holden scored 19 points in the first 14 minutes of action alone, and 10 of those came on either layups or dunks. Holden hit three of the final four shots of the half as the Buckeyes finished on a 7-0 run to take a 46-23 lead into the locker room.
Second Half
After knocking down just three 3-pointers in the opening half, Ohio State hit three of its first five attempts from downtown to start the final frame. West Virginia transfer Sean McNeil connected on two of those to help Ohio State out to a 34-point advantage before five minutes had elapsed.
Holden didn’t skip a beat upon re-entering the game after the first few minutes, converting on two more buckets in the paint before another long bomb by McNeil put the Buckeyes up 39 points with 11:23 to play.
Despite Ohio State’s big lead, Holtmann kept a tight eight-man rotation until nearly nine minutes went by in the final half. Kalen Etzler and Owen Spencer saw their first action of the game at that point, and Bowen Hardman hit a triple within his first few seconds upon entering the contest as the 11th man.
The Hardman three gave the Buckeyes a 80-39 lead with 9:26 to play, and the game had long since been decided in Columbus. Hardman wasn’t done there, though, as he knocked down several more threes in the next few minutes to finish as the second-highest-scoring freshman behind only Roddy Gayle (14 points).
By the 3:06 mark, Holtmann had fully emptied the bench as walk-on guard Colby Baumann got in the game for the first time.
Game Notes
- Justice Sueing sat out as a precaution as he works his way back from a preseason ankle sprain. The sixth-year forward missed all but two games last season due to an abdominal injury.
- Eugene Brown was unavailable for Ohio State due to concussion protocol. The junior guard missed several games in 2021-22 as he dealt with a concussion.
- Bruce Thornton, Isaac Likekele, Sean McNeil, Brice Sensabaugh and Zed Key started the game for Ohio State. Tanner Holden and Roddy Gayle Jr. were the first two Buckeyes in off the bench.
- Chaminade went 9-18 overall in 2021-22 and finished 7-13 in the Pacific West Conference.
- Based in Hawaii, Chaminade is the host site for the annual Maui Invitational Tournament, in which Ohio State is set to participate from Nov. 21-23 this season.
- Ohio State's season officially begins next Monday as the Buckeyes take on Robert Morris at 7 p.m. at the Schott.
