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Buckeye Archive Sullinger Injured Again, Buckeyes Edge South Carolina
Buckeye Archive Sullinger Injured Again, Buckeyes Edge South Carolina
Jared Sullinger had just returned to the team, making his first official start against South Carolina on Saturday after missing two games and coming off the bench for another due to back spasms. The preseason All-American played six minutes before limping off the court with an injury to his left foot.Without him, Ohio State was forced to look elsewhere for a spark to beat a pesky South Carolina team. The Buckeyes found that spark in Deshaun Thomas who had a career high 30 points, six rebounds and three assists in Ohio State’s 74-66 victory over the Gamecocks.
With the Buckeyes first road victory secured, all the attention turned back to their star -- who suffered the foot injury after taking an accidental kick on a defensive rebound. Sullinger was taken off-site to get an x-ray on his left foot, and the results showed no fracture to any bone.
After the game, Matta was relieved, "We think he'll be fine," Matta said. "We're just happy there wasn't a break in there."
Sullinger’s recovery time is unknown, and Matta has declared their big man “day-to-day”, just as he was with the back spasms. But if Sullinger can’t go, the Buckeyes will have to rely on their budding superstar in Deshaun Thomas.
With Sullinger out, Thomas and William Buford were the only reliable options on offense in the first half. The team looked out of sync with the ball, stunned that another injury had sent their All-American to the locker room. But after missing his first shot, Thomas connected on his next three while William Buford bucked his recent trend of bad starts as well. The two best options on offense sans-Sullinger scored 20 of Ohio State’s 29 first half points, but the Buckeyes finished the first half with eight assists and nine turnovers.
On the other end, the Buckeyes were unable to limit South Carolina’s perimeter shooting as the Gamecocks shot 57% (4-7) from behind the arch in the first half. When you combined South Carolina’s hot shooting with the full-court pressure they applied after each made-basket, it resulted in a frustrating start for the Buckeyes. The Gamecocks were able to outscore Ohio State 22-11 without Sullinger on the court and entered the locker room at half time with a 33-29 lead.
Buford talked about the early impact Sullinger’s injury had on the team, "We knew we had to pick it up defensively and offensively when Sullinger went out," Buford said. "We weren't playing our basketball, playing to our level.”
Ohio State definitely got back to their level in the second half. In what seemed like a pro-Buckeyes crowd in Columbia, the Buckeyes began their comeback surrounded by the echoing O-H-I-O chant you’re used to hearing in Columbus. Thomas fueled a 12-2 run for the Buckeyes to start the second half. Lenzelle Smith Jr., who had three missed shots and no points through 20 minutes, also scored five crucial points during the run.
Just when it looked like Ohio State would take over the game, South Carolina’s Anthony Gill provided his team with a boost. After going scoreless in the first, Gill scored nine quick points to bring South Carolina to within three. The back and forth nature of the game ended there as Deshaun Thomas completely took over. Thomas scored eight points during an 11-3 Ohio State run that put Ohio State back up by double digits. Every time the Gamecocks made a push, Thomas answered with either a mid-range jumper or a bucket down low. It seemed as though the sophomore couldn’t miss in an effort where he made 13 of his 16 shots. The Buckeyes needed every single one of those shots to edge a feisty South Carolina team.
"We had to get a little juice into us," Thomas said after the game. "We made some mistakes on offense in the first half with turnovers and that's not us. So we just put a little fire and juice into us."
The Buckeyes are set to play the Lamar Cardinals on Tuesday, December 20 at 8:30 pm EST. A decision on Jared Sullinger’s status will likely be made on game day.
Buford talked about the early impact Sullinger’s injury had on the team, "We knew we had to pick it up defensively and offensively when Sullinger went out," Buford said. "We weren't playing our basketball, playing to our level.”
Ohio State definitely got back to their level in the second half. In what seemed like a pro-Buckeyes crowd in Columbia, the Buckeyes began their comeback surrounded by the echoing O-H-I-O chant you’re used to hearing in Columbus. Thomas fueled a 12-2 run for the Buckeyes to start the second half. Lenzelle Smith Jr., who had three missed shots and no points through 20 minutes, also scored five crucial points during the run.
Just when it looked like Ohio State would take over the game, South Carolina’s Anthony Gill provided his team with a boost. After going scoreless in the first, Gill scored nine quick points to bring South Carolina to within three. The back and forth nature of the game ended there as Deshaun Thomas completely took over. Thomas scored eight points during an 11-3 Ohio State run that put Ohio State back up by double digits. Every time the Gamecocks made a push, Thomas answered with either a mid-range jumper or a bucket down low. It seemed as though the sophomore couldn’t miss in an effort where he made 13 of his 16 shots. The Buckeyes needed every single one of those shots to edge a feisty South Carolina team.
"We had to get a little juice into us," Thomas said after the game. "We made some mistakes on offense in the first half with turnovers and that's not us. So we just put a little fire and juice into us."
The Buckeyes are set to play the Lamar Cardinals on Tuesday, December 20 at 8:30 pm EST. A decision on Jared Sullinger’s status will likely be made on game day.
Follow David on Twitter @davidreg412
Dec 17, 2011 11:00 AM
Last Updated:
Dec 19, 2011
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