Buckeyes Dominate Outgunned Youngstown State, 77-40

After having lost two of their last three contests, the Ohio State Buckeyes were in serious need of a quality performance. Though it came against a Youngstown State team that was simply overmatched, the Buckeyes got that win in dominating fashion.

A trio of Buckeyes led the way in the scoring department as Keita Bates-Diop, Kam Williams and Jae’Sean Tate all scored 15 points a piece. Trevor Thompson gave the Buckeyes a forth player in double figures, adding 11 points to go with his 15 rebounds.

Ohio State wasted no time in asserting their dominance in the early going. Thompson’s layup with 15:24 left in the first half gave his team a 12-1 lead.

The margin continued to grow, and with eight minutes left in the half, the Buckeyes owned a 27-5 lead.

Youngstown State finally got into double digits on Matt Donlan’s three pointer with just under

seven minutes to go before the break.

The abysmal first half performance by the Penguins was highlighted by a 15 percent shooting percentage from the field. They trailed by what looked like a football score, going into the locker room down 42-14.

The second half was more of the same for both teams. Ohio State’s lead grew to as many as 36 points, and never fell below 26.

Despite the huge lead, Thad Matta kept his most of his key players in until late in the game, a nod to the fact that this team needs all the time they can get together as they try to find an identity.

The Buckeyes shot 50 percent on the night, while holding the Penguins to just 21 percent on a night to forget.

They weren’t without their flaws, however. Ohio State turned the ball over 16 times, an issue that continues to plague them and will cost them against better competition. They also lost freshman center Micah Potter on the opening tip. Potter injured his ankle and didn’t return. His status is day-to-day.

Ohio State improves to 9-3 on the season and will have a quick turnaround as they are back on the floor on Wednesday night to take on UNC-Asheville. Tipoff for that game is set for 9:00 in Value City Arena.