Written by David Regimbal

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Six players for Ohio State scored in double figures as Ohio State (12-0) defeated the Oakland Golden Grizzlies 92-63.

Oakland could not contain the Buckeyes balance as Deshaun Thomas led all scorers with 17, Sullinger had 16, Lighty and Diebler each had 13, Buford had 12 and Aaron Craft added a career high 12 points as well.

John Diebler talked about Ohio State’s balance after the game, “I think it’s nice to see and it’s really hard to defend us when you have six guys in double figures.”

Aaron Craft added, “We’re definitely at our best when we get easy baskets off our defense. Just in transition, we’re hard to stop because we can just spread people out the way we do.” The 92 points Ohio State scored was 12 points over their season average of 80.

The offense wasn’t coming as easy in the first half as it did in the second. Through the course of the first twenty minutes, the Buckeyes would routinely jump out to a comfortable lead before the Grizzlies would charge back to make things close. Ohio State never trailed in this game, but after building a 10 point lead through 10 minutes of play, the Grizzlies started hitting some timely 3-pointers to make it competitive. After racing out to a quick start, Ohio State’s offense wasn’t producing as the game became a 28-22 contest with 3 minutes left, then a 31-27 game with just under two to play. But a 6-1 Ohio State run created some distance for the Buckeyes as they went into the locker room with a 37-28 lead. It was a clear momentum swing that really gave Ohio State control of the game.

Oakland head coach Greg Kampe talked about the end of the first half, “I liked that it was a four point game with a minute and a half to go when I took Benson and Hudson out so they didn’t get their third foul.” Benson and Hudson are two of Oakland’s best players. Kampe sarcastically added, “That was a real smart move on my part, because the lead went from four to nine so it wouldn’t have mattered.”

The second half started much like the first half. The Buckeyes were able to push their nine point halftime lead to a 17 point lead in just over three minutes of play. An Oakland three pointer stopped Ohio State’s momentum, and the Grizzlies crawled back to within 10 points as the Value City Arena crowd grew anxious.

After a media timeout, the Buckeyes came back on the court and put the game away. In a seven minute stretch, the Buckeyes torched the nets making eight straight shots while absolutely suffocating Oakland’s offense. Ohio State added nine made free-throws in what turned out to be a 32-5 run. After the barrage, Oakland players seemed surprised when they looked at the scoreboard because it happened so quickly. A competitive game turned into a rout, and before they knew it, the Buckeyes were subbing in their bench players to close out the game.

In the end, the Buckeyes had recorded another blowout win to remain unbeaten. Thad Matta had mixed reviews after the game, “The thing I’m most glad about is our 21 to 5 assist-to-turnover ratio. It was a very good win for us.” When the coach was later asked how he felt about being out-rebounded by Oakland, he wasn’t too thrilled, “I didn’t know that... I’m really upset.” It needs to be mentioned that his comment was followed by laughter, but make no mistake, the coach will get on his guys and use this as a tool to help them improve.

With only one non-conference game remaining before Big Ten play begins, the Buckeyes need to be at their best.

Who’s Next?

The Buckeyes will wrap up their non-conference schedule by hosting the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks on Monday, December 27. The game will be carried by the Big Ten Network and will tip-off at 8:30 PM EST.

Follow David on Twitter @davidreg412