There was no rise from the ashes for the Phoenix Ohio State played Monday night.
Ohio State (5-1) led wire-to-wire even as Green Bay (2-5) cut the Buckeyes' lead to single digits on countless occasions. OSU finally took a double-digit edge for the final time with 11:36 to play and hit the cruise control button from there, riding out a 102-69 win.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| GREEN BAY | 32 | 37 | 69 |
| OHIO STATE | 42 | 60 | 102 |
Excellent backcourt play won the day for Ohio State. Point guard Bruce Thornton took over the contest with his scoring and passing talents, racking up a team-high 25 points and nine assists. Shooting guard Meechie Johnson Jr. knocked down five threes en route to a 17-point performance.
Seven total Buckeyes reached double-figures scoring, with John Mobley Jr. scoring 14 points, Sean Stewart collecting 11 and Micah Parrish, Evan Mahaffey and Devin Royal all getting 10. It’s the first time seven Buckeyes have scored in double digits in a game since Nov. 27, 1989.
Ohio State scored 100 points in back-to-back games for the first time since the Buckeyes scored 100 on Dec. 15 and 17, 1990. OSU scored 100 points in four straight games to start that season, had a 90-point game, and then had those two 100-point outings for an incredible six out of seven games with 100 or more points.
Anthony Roy, the nation’s leading scorer, led the way in defeat for Green Bay with 30 points.
First Half
Johnson came out firing from downtown, missing two and making two deep 3-point looks to provide Ohio State an 8-2 lead entering the first media timeout. A Parrish triple extended the edge to 12-5, but Green Bay responded with back-to-back threes to make it a 12-11 ballgame early.
Thornton was having none of it. After canning a three of his own from well behind the arc on the right wing, he fed a nifty pass to a slicing Mahaffey for a layup. Mahaffey swatted a shot on the other end of the floor, then added a post-spin layup to cap a 7-0 run and make it 19-11 Buckeyes with 10:53 to play in the first half.
Ohio State pushed its lead to double-digits a few more times from there with Johnson knocking down two more 3s, including one from inside the Ohio logo at half-court in Value City Arena. Thornton nailed two more triples for an 8-1 run.
The Phoenix battled back with some help from a Roy 3-pointer, but Johnson hit one final trip in a scorching first half to make it 42-32 Buckeyes at halftime. The shooting guard finished with 15 points, all on a 5-of-8 shooting performance from outside.
As a team, the Buckeyes found an edge behind the arc and on the glass in the opening 20 minutes. They went 9-of-18 (50%) from downtown and outrebounded Green Bay 22-12.
Second Half
| OHIO STATE | STAT | CAMPBELL |
|---|---|---|
| 102 | POINTS | 69 |
| 38-68 (55.9%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 24-49 (49%) |
| 14-31 (45.2%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 10-24 (41.7%) |
| 12-19 (63.2%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 11-16 (68.8%) |
| 8 | TURNOVERS | 18 |
| 37 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 23 |
| 11 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 3 |
| 26 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 20 |
| 29 | BENCH POINTS | 24 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 1 |
| 10 | STEALS | 3 |
| 20 | ASSISTS | 11 |
A Parrish 3-point play and Royal lay-in pushed the Ohio State lead to its largest of the game to that stage at 49-34, but the Buckeyes couldn't contain Roy.
The Green Bay senior hit two 3s and sparked an extended 10-2 run to push it back to a 51-44 contest. Thornton stopped the bleeding with a floater only for guard Foster Wonders to trim things back to 53-47.
Thornton bagged a quick five points more to push the score back out to 58-47. Again the Phoenix rose to make it 58-51, but at last, the Buckeyes broke away for the final time.
Thornton went on an 8-0 run by himself then scored three points and blocked a shot during a longer 12-0 scoring stretch for the Buckeyes, one of which featured two triples from Mobley and Parrish's second old-fashioned 3-point play of the contest. When the dust settled, the game was well out of reach with Ohio State up 85-59 with 5:30 to play.
Another 8-0 run pushed the lead to 93-61 and bench players started hitting the floor for the Buckeyes. Forward Kalen Etzler hit a baby hook in the post to give Ohio State 100 points for its second straight game.
What's Next?
Ohio State faces its third Power Conference opponent in seven games to open the year when Pitt comes to Value City Arena on Friday. Tipoff is at 2:30 p.m. on Peacock, NBC's streaming service.
Game Notes
- Bruce Thornton scored his 1,000th career point for the Buckeyes on Monday night.
- Green Bay is coached by former media personality and sports radio host Doug Gottlieb. Gottlieb still works as an analyst for FOX Sports while coaching.
- Jake Diebler improved to 5-0 in his career against non-power conference opponents.
- Center Aaron Bradshaw remains away from team activities for Ohio State while the subject of a university investigation. Forward Sean Stewart made his return from injury against Green Bay.
