Buckeyes Down Mountaineers
Ohio State coming off a week layoff didn’t miss a beat, rolling to their 4th straight victory, defeating Appalachian State 80-67, moving to 9-3 on the season. The Buckeyes opened up a somewhat close game early, going on a 6-0 run late in the half, capped off by a great hustle play by Keita Bates-Diop. He dove on the floor near the midcourt stripe, scooping the loose ball and having the presence of mind to pitch it to Andrew Dakich, who drove to the rim, spun and found a streaking Jae’Sean Tate for the slam, stretching the lead to 10 and ultimately to a 13-point Buckeye lead at the break.
Ohio State exploded out of the gate in the second 20 minutes, stretching the lead to 17 before App State converted an and one opportunity, cutting the lead to 15 before alarms began sounding throughout the Schottenstein center causing both teams to leave the floor and ending up emptying the arena. The delay lasted approximately 15 minutes when fans came back out and play resumed on the floor. Apparently, a smoke alarm was tripped in a concession area causing a bizarre turn of events within the Schottenstein Center.
Following the delay, the Mountaineers went on a bit of a run of their own, cutting the Buckeye lead to just 9, which was the closest they would get as the Buckeyes stretched the lead to as many as 20 before settling with a 13 point win. Utilizing a strong inside game, and length defensively on the perimeter, the Buckeyes were able to impose their will on the Mountaineers. Tate led the Buckeyes with 19 and Bates-Diop added 18 and 8 rips while Kaleb Wesson continued to be a force in the paint for Ohio State, scoring 16 and pulling down 9 boards. Kam Williams also chipped in 11 for the winning Ohio State attack.
The Buckeyes showed little rust after their week long break of games for final exams beating an athletic group of Appalachian State Mountaineers who despite their poor record, will most likely prove to be a solid win at year end. The schedule will now get back to normal, playing a couple games per week to finish December before jumping back into conference play in January.
The Buckeyes next host The Citadel on Tuesday night at the Schott with tip coming for that one at 7pm.
– Jason Harris