Men's Basketball
Turner’s Scary Moment Spoils OSU’s 50-point Barrage of EMU
By Brandon CastelCOLUMBUS, Ohio – As Evan Turner’s back slammed against the hardwood floor a hush fell over the already docile crowd at Value City Arena Saturday.
Evan Turner braces for the impact as he takes a nasty fall.
Photo by Jim DavidsonA pin dropped somewhere in section 327 as Ohio State fans waited on pins and needles for signs of life from the Buckeyes’ best player as he lay flat on his back following a 7-foot drop after a missed dunk attempt in the first half of No. 15 OSU’s 111-60 bombardment of Eastern Michigan (5-3).
“It got pretty quiet in the gym. Real quiet,” said friend and roommate Jon Diebler.
With Buckeye Nation holding its collective breath, no one was more worried for his star player than OSU Head Coach Thad Matta.
“I wanted him to make the shot, but then his feet didn’t come back under him. My next thought was ‘Please get up, please get up,’” he said after the game.
But Turner didn’t get up, at least not immediately.
When he did, the 6-foot-7 point-forward grabbed the right side of his lower back and hobbled slowly down the tunnel towards the locker room with a trail of athletic trainers in his wake.
Members of the OSU training staff attend to Turner as his concerned teammates look on.
Photo by Jim Davidson“I was scared at first,” said backup point guard P.J. Hill, who immediately jumped up off the bench to replace Turner on the court.
“He let go of the rim too fast. He was swinging from the rim and his legs were out from under him when he let go. I knew he wasn’t hurt (badly) though because I know his demeanor.”
The junior, who is expected to be a first round pick in next summer’s NBA Draft should he forgo his senior season, was taken to the Ohio State Medical Center for precautionary X-Rays on his lower back and did not play in the remaining 33 minutes of the game.
“Everything looked good on the X-ray,” said an obviously relieved Matta.
“They’re going to do a CT scan to make sure everything is OK internally, but at this point I’m pretty optimistic.”
With Turner in the lineup, the Buckeyes got out to a 12-2 lead for the second game in a row and led 15-5 at the 13:27 mark when Turner drove the lane for the two-handed dunk attempt that would knock him out of the game. There was a foul on the play, but it had nothing to do with the injury.
With their best player and Mr. Everything headed for the hospital, the Buckeyes came together in the huddle to decide which way the game was going to go now that they were without their leading scorer, rebounder and assist man.
“We knew, we didn’t really have to say much,” said Diebler, who hit six threes and scored a team-high 21 points to go with five assists and five rebounds.
“We just knew a man goes down, we just got to pick it up; especially a guy like Evan who does so much for us.”
With Hill running the point and David Lighty (16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) and William Buford (16 points, 10 assists) facilitating the offense, the Buckeyes (7-1) went on 47-20 run to close out the first half as they scored 18 points off 17 Eastern Michigan turnovers to take a 62-25 lead in the locker rooms at half time.
“The other kids really stepped up after Turner went down,” said EMU Head Coach Charles Ramsey.
“Hopefully the young man is all right, (but) they really picked things up a notch once he left and they were playing like he never even left.”
Even with a nervous feeling in the pit of their stomachs over the status of Evan Turner, Ohio State fans were able to celebrate the football team’s Big Ten Championship at halftime, along with Coach Jim Tressel’s 57 th birthday by singing a rendition of “Happy Birthday” with the OSU band.
“We’re all working hard, getting ready for Oregon and we’re going to go out to Pasadena and come back with a “W” this time,” said OSU football captain Kurt Coleman during the halftime ceremony.
In the second half, it was more of the same, with the Buckeyes knocking down seven of their 15 attempts from behind the arc to finish 16-of-29 (.552) for the game. Diebler paced all players with his six threes (on eight attempts), but Buford, Hill and Jeremie Simmons each hit three shots from behind the arc.
“They were absolutely on fire shooting the basketball today and we had no answers,” Ramsey said.
“It was a very humbling experience.”
Hill in particular turned in a fine performance off the bench. After not playing Wednesday night against Florida State, the senior point guard scored 18 points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out three assists in 33 minutes after taking over for Turner in the first half.
“I knew I had to pick up the slack with Evan out. I hate to see him get hurt but I know he’d want me to go out there and make the best of the opportunity,” said Hill, who went 3-of-4 behind the arc.
It’s uncertain whether or not Turner will be available for Ohio State’s next game, but he will have a week to rest before the Buckeyes travel to Butler (noon ET, ESPN) next Saturday.
“Evan’s a tough kid, I know he’s going to do what he has to do to get himself back on the court,” Diebler said.
Game Notes:
- Junior guard Evan Turner left the game at the 13:27 mark of the first half. He was taken to the OSU Medical Center for precautionary X-Rays on his lower back. The X-rays were negative and he is expected to be released Saturday afternoon.
- The Buckeyes’ 111 points were the most in Value City Arena history. The 62 first-half points scored by Ohio State is tied for third-most for the first half and fourth-most in any half in school history.
- The Buckeyes made 38 field goals today with 27 of them coming off assists. Ohio State had 46 bench points.
- Thad Matta's Buckeyes are 32-4 in the month of December. Under Matta, Ohio State has not lost more than one game in the month per season.
- Junior guard Jon Diebler was 6-of-8 from three-point land against the Eagles. Diebler finished with a game-high 21 points. He has made at least six 3-pointers four times this season and has claimed at least 17 points in four-consecutive games.
- Sophomore guard William Buford had a career-high 10 assists. Six of them came in the first half. Buford recorded his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. He is the 100th player to record a double-double for the Buckeyes.
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