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Men's Basketball
Cold Shooting Turns Hot, Buckeyes Vanquish Crusaders 80-47
By John Porentas

As a rule, poor shooting leads to poor results in the game of basketball. For a half, the Buckeyes proved that wrong.

William Buford
Photo by Jim Davidson

Ohio State (6-0) shot just 37.5 percent from the field in the first half against Valparaiso (5-2), but did enough other things right to enable themselves to hold a 33-29 lead at the half despite the cold shooting. They managed it by turning over the Crusaders 11 times while limiting their own turnovers to just one. They also got to the free throw line 13 times, making eight of those charity tosses. Valpo, not so much. They didn't miss any free throws, but they didn't make any either because the Buckeyes kept the off the line line by avoiding fouls.

Despite all that they were doing right, the Buckeyes felt like they hadn't played well.

“They were getting all the loose balls, offensive rebounds and second chance points," said OSU sophomore point guard Aaron Craft.

"You can’t allow that against a good team like Valparaiso. We weren't’t communicating enough on defense and that’s a sign we weren't’t ready to play.”

They may not have felt like they were ready to play when the game began, but that all changed when the second half began. The Buckeyes didn't just look ready, they looked ready, locked and loaded. OSU opened the second half by outscoring the Crusaders 19-2 in the first 6:23 to open up a 21 point lead and take take the heart out of Valpo.

"Maybe if we made some of the layups in the second half, we could have stayed in the game," said Valparaiso Head Coach Drew Bryce.

"We rebounded well in the first half, but their length gave us problems and probably kept us from staying in the game. That initial quick run in the second half really kept us from mounting a comeback.”

The Crusaders managed to get back to within 15 when Richie Edwards drained a three pointer with 11:31 remaining, but that was as close as they got. The Buckeyes continued doing all the good things they were doing in the first half, but added a torrid 67.9 percent shooting percentage to that effort in the second half that included 5 of 9 from three point range. For the game, OSU shot 51.7 from the field.

It was just too much for the Crusaders. OSU continued to stretch the lead throughout the remainder of the second half, eventually leading by 36 at 80-44 with 29 seconds remaining.

The Buckeyes held a marked 18-8 scoring advantage in in the paint, but it was points off turnovers that really killed Valpo. OSU amassed a 24-0 advantage in that statistical category.

OSU senior guard William Buford led all scorers with 25 points. Sophomore point guard Aaron Craft chipped in 15, sophomore center Jared Sullinger 14 and sophomore forward Deshaun Thomas 12. Sullinger also snared a game-high 13 rebounds to record a double-double.

Jay Harris led Valpraraison with 18 points that included 4-9 shooting from beyond the three point arc. He was Valparaiso's only double-digit scorer.

Ohio State's next opponent will be the Duke Blue Devils next Tuesday as part of the Big Ten vs. ACC Challenge. The game will be played at Value City Arena.

Box Score
Season Stats Year to Date
Game Notes

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