A 12-2 run to start the second half sparked an upset in Columbus on Friday night as UT-Arlington stunned Ohio State, 73-68. It was just the second loss to an unranked non-conference opponent in Thad Matta's tenure as head coach of the Buckeyes.
The visiting Mavericks outworked and outhustled Ohio State, posting a 46-37 edge on the glass, scored 19 points off turnovers and had 34 points in the paint to earn the win, despite shooting only 38 percent from the field and connecting on 6-of-23 attempts from 3-point range. Ohio State certainly didn't help itself, shooting just 13-for-27 at the free-throw line.
| 1 | 2 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UT-ARLINGTON | 32 | 41 | 73 |
| OHIO STATE | 34 | 34 | 68 |
Kevin Hervey led the way for the visiting Mavericks, scoring a game-high 18 points. Point guard Erick Neal had 17 and Faith Pope had 11. Keita Bates-Diop had 16 points for the Buckeyes, JaQuan Lyle had 15 and Marc Loving had 12 as Ohio State shot just 23-for-55 from the field in the game.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | Texas-Arlington |
|---|---|---|
| 68 | POINTS | 73 |
| 23-55 (42) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 24-64 (38) |
| 9-23 (39) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 6-23 (26) |
| 13-27 (48) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 19-22 (86) |
| 13 | TURNOVERS | 13 |
| 37 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 46 |
| 13 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 18 |
| 24 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 28 |
| 16 | BENCH POINTS | 17 |
| 8 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 1 | STEALS | 6 |
| 12 | ASSISTS | 9 |
After jumping out to fast starts in the first two games of the season, Ohio State struggled against the Mavericks, leading just 34-32 at halftime.
The Buckeyes made just 12 of their 28 field-goal attempts in the first half and were only 4-for-9 at the free-throw line. Ohio State also had trouble defending UT-Arlington's motion offense, at times, as the Mavericks outscored the Buckeyes 26-8 in the paint in the first half.
Bates-Diop led the way for Ohio State in the opening 20 minutes, scoring eight points. Loving and Kam Williams each scored six points while freshman big man Daniel Giddens was extremely active off the bench with four points, five rebounds and five blocks in the first half.
Ohio State will next be in action Tuesday when it hosts Louisiana Tech.
