All signs pointed to a landslide Buckeye blowout against a hapless IUPUI program in Tuesday night’s non-conference makeup game.
Those indications were not misplaced, as 19th-ranked Ohio State raced to a 83-37 win to pick up a ninth straight victory at the Schottenstein Center, even if it took until the second half for the scarlet and gray to truly look dominant against its Horizon League foe.
A 33-point favorite at tip-off, Ohio State mounted a 13-point lead at intermission, but that advantage quickly ballooned to 24 in the first few minutes of the final frame as the Buckeyes knocked down six of their first seven shots in the second half. The Buckeyes cruised against the 1-15 Jaguars from there on out, going up by more than 40 as an overmatched IUPUI team couldn’t keep pace with the Ohio State onslaught.
| Team | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| #19 OHIO STATE | 37 | 46 | 83 |
| IUPUI | 24 | 13 | 37 |
The Buckeyes outscored IUPUI 46-13 in the second half, and finished the game on a 19-0 run.
Sophomore guard Eugene Brown had a career-high scoring effort with a game-high 14 points on the night for the Buckeyes, and E.J. Liddell turned in his 16th straight double-digit game with a double-double – 13 points and 10 rebounds – in the lopsided victory.
Ohio State scored the first nine points of the game before IUPUI got on the board with a free throw. The Jaguars went on to outscore the Buckeyes 22-21 to stay within eight points of the scarlet and gray, 30-22, at the 2:54 mark of the first half.
The Buckeyes closed out the opening period by scoring seven of the final nine points, including a 7-0 run to take a 37-24 lead into halftime. Liddell, Zed Key and Malaki Branham each poured in seven points to lead the Buckeyes, who shot 48 percent from the field and 4-for-12 from the 3-point line in the first half.
The Jaguars, who were outrebounded 15-8 by Ohio State, sent the Buckeyes to the free-throw line 10 times through the first 20 minutes. IUPUI shot 9-for-19 from the floor and 2-for-5 from downtown in the first half, as sophomore guard Bakari LaStrap led the way with eight points.
Ohio State scored 15 of the first 19 points to open the second half, though, and Brown had seven of those amid his career-best night. The Buckeyes knocked down six straight shots during that stretch after missing their first field goal of the half.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | IUPUI |
|---|---|---|
| 83 | POINTS | 37 |
| 28-49 (57.1%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 13-40 (32.5%) |
| 11-23 (47.8%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 3-13 (23.1%) |
| 16-19 (84.2%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 8-12 (66.7%) |
| 8 | TURNOVERS | 10 |
| 28 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 19 |
| 8 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 6 |
| 20 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 13 |
| 48 | BENCH POINTS | 20 |
| 5 | BLOCKS | 0 |
| 6 | STEALS | 3 |
| 19 | ASSISTS | 8 |
After hitting their first shot of the final period, the Jaguars went on to miss seven of their next eight as Ohio State extended its lead.
At the 10:51 mark, Cedric Russell knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Buckeyes a 29-point lead, and Kyle Young made it an 18-2 run for Ohio State with a layup on the next trip down, pushing the advantage to 31. Russell tied his season-high with 12 points.
During a 9-0 run under four minutes to play, Ohio State had taken a 36-point lead on the Jaguars – its highest of the game – as Harrison Hookfin made just his third appearance of the season for the Buckeyes. Hookfin, who was placed on scholarship Sunday, scored his first points of the season in the final minute of action.
IUPUI turned the ball over more than 20 times on the night, and Ohio State took full advantage in a game in which it dominated in all facets in the final 20 minutes.
What’s next: Ohio State (12-4) will stay in Columbus (6-13) to take on Nebraska for the second time this season at 2:15 p.m. Sunday.
Other Notes
- Meechie Johhnson Jr. (face), Justice Sueing (abdominal) and Seth Towns (back) were all unavailable for the Buckeyes once again Tuesday. Johnson missed his third straight game, Sueing has not played since the second game of the year and Towns has yet to make his 2021-22 debut.
- Ohio State last played IUPUI on Dec. 12, 2010, a game in which the 2nd-ranked Buckeyes won by just 11 points against the unranked Jaguars. Jared Sullinger had 40 points in the Ohio State win.
- Tuesday marks the third time Ohio State has ever played IUPUI, with the first meeting taking place on Dec. 9, 2001. That game saw an 83-70 Buckeye win, but it was later vacated by the NCAA.
- IUPUI’s 37 points were the fewest points allowed by Ohio State in a game to 38 points on Nov. 21, 2016.
- The Buckeyes are one of just two teams in the Big Ten with an undefeated record at home (9-0), with Indiana being the only other program.
- Ohio State added the non-conference matchup to its schedule to make up for the three games that were canceled amid the Buckeyes’ COVID-19 pause through the end of December.
