It was a sleepy scene in the Schottenstein Center on Tuesday.
A sparse crowd gathered to watch a snoozer of a contest, not just because Ohio State (3-1) blew out Evansville (1-4) 80-30, but also because it took the Buckeyes a while to wake up offensively.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| EVANSVILLE | 14 | 16 | 30 |
| OHIO STATE | 28 | 52 | 80 |
A 3-of-15 start from the field saw Ohio State tied with the Aces in a low-scoring affair through 13 minutes. But the Buckeyes rebounded to shoot 70% in the second half while smothering Evansville with stout defense all contest.
The Aces shot an abhorrent 19% from the field under the Buckeyes' pressure.
Devin Royal played a starring role, scoring a career-high 20 points and adding 12 rebounds for a double-double. Meechie Johnson Jr. responded to some shoddy performances early in his return to Ohio State with an efficient 5-of-8 night from the field including a 3-of-6 mark from 3, scoring 13 points.
First Half
It took more than five minutes for Ohio State to make a field goal against Evansville. The Buckeyes started 0-for-5 from the field before Meechie Johnson Jr. hit a contested 3-pointer to knot the game 5-5.
Royal hit a nice floater after a crossover dribble but it didn't quell the cold start. Ohio State was 2-of-12 before hitting its third shot of the game and the Aces tied the affair at 12 after a triple from Joshua Hughes. Then finally, the Buckeyes woke up.
John Mobley Jr. collected five points off a furious drive and finish and a right-corner triple to stoke an extended 16-2 run to close the half. The final seven of those points came at the free-throw line and the Buckeyes carried a 28-14 lead into the locker room.
Ohio State shot just 29.2% in the first half and got 12 of its points at the free-throw line while holding Evansville to 12.9% from the field.
Second Half
| OHIO STATE | STAT | EVANSVILLE |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | POINTS | 30 |
| 28-54 (51.9%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 11-58 (19%) |
| 7-21 (33.3%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 3-27 (11.1%) |
| 17-26 (65.4%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 5-10 (50%) |
| 10 | TURNOVERS | 11 |
| 48 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 28 |
| 8 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 7 |
| 40 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 21 |
| 47 | BENCH POINTS | 9 |
| 5 | BLOCKS | 4 |
| 9 | STEALS | 3 |
| 15 | ASSISTS | 3 |
Micah Parrish got to the rim to score Ohio State's first six points of the second half as the Buckeyes gained some offensive rhythm, knocking down six of its first nine shots to start the period.
Up 36-20, Johnson drained a 3-pointer and fed Aaron Bradshaw for one of the sickest one-handed alley-oops Value City Arena has ever seen. Mobley hit a pair of free throws to cap a 7-0 run and make it a 43-20 ballgame with 14:16 to play.
Another 6-0 run with a dunk from Evan Mahaffey and a pair of splashes from Royal pushed the lead even further to 52-24. Freshman Colin White scored his first three points as a Buckeye on a corner 3, combining with Royal to make it a 30-point lead for the Buckeyes at 57-27.
White hit a second 3-pointer and walked off to a standing ovation with 5:30 to play. Freshman center Ivan Njegovan got into the game as it wound down as well, scoring his first seven career points on a couple of baby hooks down low and a banked-in 3-pointer, putting the final stamp on the 50-point Ohio State win.
What's Next
Ohio State plays the second game of its four-game homestand against Campbell on Friday. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Game Notes
- Ohio State moved to 5-0 in its all-time series with Evansville.
- Johnson reached 1,000 career points on his first basket of the game.
- The victory was Ohio State's first 50-point win since Dec. 10, 2014 in a 97-43 win over High Point.
- There was a weiner dog race at halftime, but the dogs got confused and ran off the court before being redirected the right way.
Wiener dogs ran the wrong way in the Schott for a while but eventually found the finish line
— Andy Anders (@AndyAnders55) November 20, 2024
My laughter is probably very prevalent in the background of this vid pic.twitter.com/y7mutVQomz
