Everything is bigger in Texas – except regulation basketball rims.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| #21 OHIO STATE | 22 | 42 | 64 |
| #23 TEXAS A&M | 31 | 47 | 78 |
In a battle between No. 21 Ohio State and No. 23 Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, the teams shot a combined 49-of-108 (45%) from the floor. The Aggies contributed more to the former total, outscoring the Buckeyes 78-64 to hand Jake Diebler and Co. their first loss of the season.
Ohio State's success from behind the 3-point line evaporated at Reed Arena. The Buckeyes, who made 24 of 50 attempts (48%) from deep against Texas and Youngstown State, were 8-of-30 in the defeat. Ohio State's issues were not limited to shooting, however, as it turned the ball over 10 times, was outrebounded 39-33 and fouled Texas A&M 24 times with the Aggies making 32 of 40 free throws.
Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. led Ohio State with 15 and 13 points in the loss. The next-highest scorers were Micah Parrish (10 points) and Aaron Bradshaw (seven points, six rebounds).
First Half
After Thornton opened the scoring with a 3-pointer at 18:40, Ohio State went ice cold, missing its next nine shots and turning the ball over three times across six minutes. A Bradshaw dunk ended the drought at 12:18, but the Buckeyes' prolonged dry spell allowed the Aggies to build a 12-3 lead via six free throws from Manny Obaseki, Henry Coleman III and Wade Taylor IV and a pair of threes from Andersson Garcia and Taylor.
Ohio State's issues continued past the 10-minute mark, at which point Texas A&M had a 17-5 lead. While a Ques Glover 3-pointer cut the deficit to 17-8, the Buckeyes' continued attempts from behind the arc misfired – some of them airballs and some of them off the backboard – as Texas A&M's man-to-man defense suffocated Ohio State in the half court.
The Buckeyes added 14 more points to the board before halftime: a Sean Stewart free throw, a Mobley 3-pointer, a Glover 3-pointer, a pair of Mobley free throws, a Devin Royal putback and a Meechie Johnson 3-pointer. The burst of production, while welcome, was a matter of give and take for Ohio State, as it allowed Texas A&M to match that point total and take a 31-22 lead into the intermission.
Ohio State shot 7-of-32 (22%) from the field in the first half, including 5-of-17 (29%) from behind the 3-point line. The Buckeyes also turned the ball over eight times and let the Aggies collect 23 rebounds to their 22.
Second Half
| OHIO STATE | STAT | TEXAS A&M |
|---|---|---|
| 64 | POINTS | 78 |
| 20-59 (34%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 19-49 (39%) |
| 8-30 (27%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 8-21 (38%) |
| 16-22 (73%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 32-40 (80%) |
| 10 | TURNOVERS | 12 |
| 33 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 39 |
| 13 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 12 |
| 20 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 27 |
| 25 | BENCH POINTS | 20 |
| 5 | BLOCKS | 4 |
| 10 | STEALS | 3 |
| 11 | ASSISTS | 11 |
Back-to-back threes from Zhuric Phelps and Taylor extended Texas A&M's lead to 37-22 and forced Jake Diebler to burn a timeout at 18:24. Parrish made a midrange jumper immediately out of the break, but that momentum shift was short-lived as Parrish turned the ball over and committed a flagrant foul on the next two possessions.
Texas A&M outscored Ohio State 8-3 over the next two minutes, but the Buckeyes responded with a 14-6 run in which Mobley scored eight, Parrish scored three and Bradshaw scored three. The teams continued to trade punches in a stretch that spanned three media timeouts, but Ohio State would never cut the lead to single digits. The Buckeyes landed fewer blows than the Aggies, who capitalized on open looks around the rim and outside the arc at the midpoint of the half.
With Ohio State's starters on the court until the waning moments, the Buckeyes were able to close the game connecting on eight of its final 13 shots from the floor. Those makes were too little, too late for the Buckeyes, however, as Texas A&M's lead had ballooned as much as 18 in the second half and 17 in the final five minutes.
Ohio State fell to 2-1 with the loss after opening its season with wins over Texas and Youngstown State.
Up Next
Ohio State continues the regular season on Tuesday against Evansville (7 p.m. on B1G+). The Buckeyes also have matchups with Campbell (Nov. 22), Green Bay (Nov. 25) and Pitt (Nov. 29), all at the Schottenstein Center, before November ends.
