When Big X needed a big shot, a Buckeye typically stepped up.
C.J. Jackson scored seven straight points to pull the team out of an early scoring drought and banked in the final layup to push Big X within one of the target score. His former teammate, Keyshawn Woods, added 17 points off the bench and was an incredible +27 while on the floor.
CJ Jackson checks in with @JenHale504 after the BIG X win over WV Wildcats! #TBT2019 pic.twitter.com/vxq2o7r3jd
— TBT (@thetournament) July 20, 2019
Big X, with Ohio State assistant Andrew Dakich as head coach, beat a streaky West Virginia Wildcats team 83-76.
The team struggled early, going down 13 in the first four minutes of the opening quarter. Jackson then sparked a 16-4 run after three consecutive layups. Jackson's three early in the second quarter gave Big X their first lead of the game at 26-24.
Big X's athleticism and length caused problems for the Wildcats, who slowed it down and relied on three-point shooting. Dakich's team scored 23 points off turnovers, 12 more than West Virginia.
The game featured the Elam Ending for the second consecutive year. The Elam Ending turns the game clock off when there are less than four minutes left in the final quarter and puts out a target score. The target score adds eight points to the leading team's score. The first team to the target score wins.
Jae'Sean Tate, who is on the Big X roster, did not play due to a recent invitation to the Oklahoma City Thunder's summer camp, per Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch.
Big X will play the winner of Carmen Crew and Illinois BC, which tips off at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
