If there was a halftime speech, it certainly felt like Ohio State heard the message loud and clear.
After leading a lowly Fairleigh Dickinson team by just one point at halftime Saturday afternoon, the Buckeyes used a 16-2 run to open the second half then hung on to defeat the visiting Knights at Value City Arena, 70-62.
| 1 | 2 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON | 32 | 30 | 62 |
| OHIO STATE | 33 | 37 | 70 |
Ohio State put four players in double figures and was led by Marc Loving's team-high 18 points. Kam Williams scored 17 points in his fifth-straight start in place of the injured Keita Bates-Diop while Jae'Sean Tate (12 points, 12 rebounds) and Trevor Thompson (10 points, 12 boards) each recorded double-doubles for the Buckeyes.
Williams scored the final five points in Ohio State's run to open the second half while Tate had four. Loving's three-point play on a made dunk was the highlight and brought the relatively quiet crowd to life. The Buckeyes' largest lead in the second half was 17 points at 51-34 with 14 minutes, 34 seconds to play.
For the game, the Buckeyes shot 50 percent from the field and were 6-for-15 from behind the 3-point line. Ohio State also finished just 12-for-21 from the free-throw line.
Thad Matta said Friday he was anxious to see how his team performed after a tough loss against Virginia. He likely wasn't pleased with the first half.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | POINTS | 62 |
| 26–52 (50%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 22–56 (39%) |
| 6–15 (40%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 7–22 (32%) |
| 12–21 (57%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 11–14 (79%) |
| 14 | TURNOVERS | 13 |
| 35 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 33 |
| 8 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 9 |
| 27 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 24 |
| 14 | BENCH POINTS | 13 |
| 5 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 7 | STEALS | 4 |
| 16 | ASSISTS | 10 |
Ohio State led just 33-32 at halftime and trailed for nearly 10 minutes of action.
The Buckeyes were largely out of sync offensively in the opening 20 minutes before a late flurry that included back-to-back 3-pointers from Loving and Williams helped give Ohio State a one-point halftime advantage.
The Knights led by six points at 21-15 before the Buckeyes responded by scoring 18 points over the final 6:38 of the first half. Ohio State shot just 46 percent from the field in the early going and committed nine first-half turnovers — a stat which plagued it in the loss to the Cavaliers.
Loving led the way with 13 first-half points while Williams added 10. Each played had a pair of first-half 3-pointers. Trevor Thompson came off the bench to contribute four points, five rebounds and three blocks in the first half.
Ohio State will next be in action Tuesday against Florida Atlantic.
