"They're getting anything they want" came the decree from ESPN play-by-play commentator Dave O'Brien as Auburn center Dylan Cardwell slammed home a basketball.
It was hard to argue with him. Cardwell's slam put the Tigers ahead of Ohio State 49-21 as the final 30 seconds or so fell from the first-half clock, and O'Brien's five-word exclamation just about summarized the outcome between the two sides.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 21 | 32 | 53 |
| #2 AUBURN | 49 | 42 | 91 |
The Buckeyes (6-4) got a measuring-stick game with the No. 2 team in the country, Auburn (9-1), and came up 300 yards short in a neutral-site game in Atlanta, falling 91-53.
Star Auburn forward Johni Broome made the Buckeyes' rim protectors look about as stiff as cooked linguine, racking up 21 points and 20 rebounds. Ohio State as a team only barely outrebounded Broome, a singular player, for the game with 28 boards. The Tigers tallied 49 rebounds to nearly double up the undersized Buckeyes on the glass.
Guard Denver Jones served as Broome's partner in crime, collecting 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from behind the arc. Devin Royal was Ohio State's leading scorer with 14 points.
The 38-point margin of defeat was Ohio State’s most lopsided loss in any game since 1994.
First Half
Ohio State took a 3-0 lead with 18:50 to play in the first half and it proved the only lead the Buckeyes would hold on Saturday. Auburn answered immediately with a 15-2 run with Broome collecting seven of the points.
Broome soon strung two layups together several minutes later to give him 11 points in just over eight minutes of action. Jones sank his second triple for the Tigers and they led 25-8 with 12:22 to play in the first half.
Ohio State turned up its defensive intensity a bit to try and claw back into the contest, holding Auburn scoreless for a sizeable stretch of 6:41. But the Buckeyes only managed six points of their own in that time. Broome answered with a three-point play the old-fashioned way, sparking a 9-0 run capped by a third-chance layup from Chad Baker-Mazara and the lead grew to 20.
Broome collected his 10th rebound with 5:18 still to play in the half, completing a double-double in less than 15 minutes. Jones hit two more 3s to lead into Cardwell's slam that made it 49-21 at halftime.
The Buckeyes shot a meager 25% from the field and were outrebounded 28-14 in the opening 20 minutes.
Second Half
| OHIO STATE | STAT | AUBURN |
|---|---|---|
| 53 | POINTS | 91 |
| 18-51 (35.3%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 33-72 (45.8%) |
| 6-16 (37.5%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 13-30 (43.3%) |
| 11-19 (57.9%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 12-14 (85.7%) |
| 8 | TURNOVERS | 5 |
| 28 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 49 |
| 5 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 16 |
| 23 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 33 |
| 13 | BENCH POINTS | 30 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 13 |
| 5 | STEALS | 4 |
| 7 | ASSISTS | 18 |
Auburn opened the second period by extending its lead to 30 for the first time, and the Tigers' edge stayed greater than 25 points for the entire second half.
A quick 6-0 run finished by a fall-away midrange jumper from Jones pushed the advantage to 35 at 70-35. A fancy finish on a layup by Chaney Johnson and a two-handed throwdown by Cardwell pushed it out to 74-37.
Bruce Thornton scored his first points of the contest with 5:01 to play, fresh off of Cardwell's fourth block of the game. Jahki Howard scored nine points in a row for Auburn, shoving the Tigers' lead past 40 with a 3-pointer.
A Howard dunk made it 91-50 with 37 seconds to play, and if that scoreline had held it would have equaled the most lopsided loss for Ohio State since 1956. But Ivan Njegovan came off the bench and hit a triple to set the 91-53 final scoreline.
What's Next?
Ohio State returns home on Tuesday for its third-to-last non-conference game against Valparaiso, Jake Diebler's alma mater. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. on Peacock.
Game Notes
- While he's been reinstated to team activities, starting center Aaron Bradshaw remains out as he undergoes a return-to-play process after missing five games while under university investigation. Forward Colin White and guard Ques Glover also remain out with injuries.
- Saturday was the second time Ohio State has trailed by 28 or more points at halftime this season, the other being a 50-17 intermission deficit at Maryland on Dec. 4. The Buckeyes lost that game 83-59.
- It was the first-ever meeting on the basketball floor between Ohio State and Auburn.
