Kaleb Wesson only had eight points in Ohio State's season-opening win against Cincinnati.
By halftime of the Buckeyes' 76-56 win against UMass Lowell on Sunday, the 6-foot-9, 255-pound big man already had a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers, becoming the first of five Ohio State players to score in double figures. Wesson ended the game with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while tying his career high of five assists.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| #18 OHIO STATE | 38 | 38 | 76 |
| UMASS LOWELL | 25 | 31 | 56 |
The win improved the Buckeyes' record to 2-0 ahead of their matchup with 10th-ranked Villanova on Wednesday.
DJ Carton impressed with a pair of successive no-look passes that were among his four assists. The freshman point guard also had 13 points and just one turnover after coughing up the ball four times in the opener.
Luther Muhammad had 11 points and three assists, going 4-of-6 from the field. After leading the team in scoring in Ohio State's 64-56 win against Cincinnati on Wednesday, Kyle Young scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds.
Ohio State didn't pour on its points in certain runs, rather slowly increasing its lead, which reached double digits after 13 minutes. By the fifth minute of the second half, the lead had reached 20 points, and UMass Lowell never pulled any closer, as the Buckeyes scored exactly 38 points in both halves.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | UMASS LOWELL |
|---|---|---|
| 76 | POINTS | 56 |
| 28-57 (49.1%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 20-61 (32.8%) |
| 9-23 (39.1%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 5-23 (21.7%) |
| 11-22 (50%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 11-20 (55.0%) |
| 14 | TURNOVERS | 12 |
| 44 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 37 |
| 10 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 11 |
| 34 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 26 |
| 27 | BENCH POINTS | 20 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 1 |
| 2 | STEALS | 7 |
| 19 | ASSISTS | 11 |
After not playing in the season opener, Alonzo Gaffney entered Sunday's game in the fifth minute. He had 10 points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes, though he also turned the ball over four times. Ibrahima Diallo also made his Ohio State debut and played six minutes with one rebound.
Christian Lutete, who scored 51 points in UMass Lowell's win against Long Island University on Friday, scored just nine points on 4-of-12 shots.
Next up: Ohio State will play host to No. 10 Villanova on Wednesday as part of the Gavitt Games. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and be shown on Fox Sports 1.
Game Notes
- Ohio State nearly went eight minutes without a bucket in the season opener. It had another game-opening drought on Sunday, but it didn't last as long. The Buckeyes scored their first points on a layup from CJ Walker that came 3:29 into the game.
- Both teams struggled mightily to shoot free throws. They combined to make only one of their first 11 free throws. Ohio State went 11-for-22 from the stripe, and UMass Lowell hit 11-of-20 free throws. Against Cincinnati, the Buckeyes made 19-of-29 free throws.
- Duane Washington Jr. got his first start of the season, filling in for Andre Wesson, who missed the game with an eye injury that he suffered in the season-opening win versus the Bearcats.
- Andre Wesson watched the game from the bench, wearing the same sweatshirt and sweatpants as Musa Jallow and Justice Sueing. On Friday, Chris Holtmann said he wasn't yet sure how many games he would miss.
