Ohio State's first half against Youngstown State went about as poorly as anyone could have expected it would on Tuesday, but the Buckeyes still came away with a win to improve to 10-1 on the season.
Despite being favored by 26.5 points entering the contest, Ohio State never led in the first half of Tuesday's game, but ultimately pulled away in the second half to earn a 75-56 win over its visitors from Northeast Ohio.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| #15 OHIO STATE (10-1) | 22 | 53 | 75 |
| YOUNGSTOWN STATE (4-9) | 25 | 31 | 56 |
The game got off to a shockingly bad start for the home team, as Youngstown State outscored the Buckeyes 14-2 in the first seven minutes. Ohio State made just one of its first 10 shots from the field.
Youngstown State ultimately took a 25-22 lead into the break, as the Buckeyes made just 24 percent of their shots (7-of-29) in the first half, including just one of 11 shots from 3-point range.
The Buckeyes finally took their first lead less than three minutes into the second half, which they started on a 10-2 run to open up a seven-point lead. Ohio State finally took its first double-digit lead of the game with 12:38 to play, when C.J. Jackson hit what was just the Buckeyes' third 3-pointer at the time, and started to pull away from there before ultimately winning by 19.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | YOUNGSTOWN STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 75 | POINTS | 56 |
| 26-56 (46.4%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 20-55 (36.4%) |
| 5-19 (26.3%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 8-20 (40.0%) |
| 18-23 (78.3%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 8-11 (72.7%) |
| 8 | TURNOVERS | 11 |
| 39 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 30 |
| 10 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 7 |
| 29 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 23 |
| 13 | BENCH POINTS | 19 |
| 3 | BLOCKS | 1 |
| 5 | STEALS | 5 |
| 17 | ASSISTS | 8 |
Kaleb Wesson led the way to the Buckeyes' comeback win, scoring a career-high 31 points – marking the second straight game he reached a career-high scoring total, after scoring 22 in the previous game against Bucknell – including 26 points in the second half. He also grabbed seven rebounds.
Luther Muhammad and C.J. Jackson each scored 11 points for the Buckeyes, while Keyshawn Woods scored nine. Jackson tied Wesson for the team lead with seven points and also led the Buckeyes with seven assists.
Chris Holtmann's squad will look to improve to 11-1 when Ohio State plays UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday.
