Ohio State basketball looks to build on season-opening victory
By Charles Post
The Ohio State basketball team will look to build on a season-opening blowout victory over Illinois State, as they host UMASS Lowell on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 4 PM. The Buckeyes are fresh off a dominant 94-67 win behind Justice Sueing’s 19 points and eight rebounds. EJ Liddell finished with 16 points and three assists.
“Justice played like he’s played in a couple of scrimmages when he was our leading scorer. He has a variety of ways in which he can attack you and he’s pretty powerful,” head coach Chris Holtmann said following the win. “You combine his size with ball skills and athleticism, and he’s a good player. He’s that versatile wing forward that is very valuable.”
Liddell got the scoring started for Ohio State as Duane Washington found him for a two-handed dunk. The Buckeyes used that to jumpstart a 22-0 run to begin the game as Illinois State didn’t score for more than six minutes. OSU went into halftime with a 42-25 lead before getting up by as much as 37 points in the second half.
“It was a good first start for our guys. I’m really proud of our guys’ effort overall today. I thought we had really good energy and guys were ready to play,” Holtmann explained. “We had a lot of contributions from a lot of players. We were just really excited about being out there together.”
The Buckeyes will turn their attention to UMASS Lowell, who opened the season with an impressive 76-68 win over San Francisco. Ohio State will lean on senior guards C.J. Walker and Washington to take care of the ball and defend Obadiah Noel, who led the River Hawks with 22 points and eight rebounds against San Francisco.
“I thought Duane got a little better as the game went on but he was pretty locked in defensively which was really good to see. He still has to get in a little better shape and condition. CJ was steady as always.” Holtmann explained. “ It was great to see our guards lead the way and it was great to be out there.”
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Washington didn’t play his best against Illinois State, finishing with 12 points and two rebounds on 33.3% shooting from the field, so look for him to be aggressive on Sunday afternoon. Following the game against UMASS Lowell, the Buckeyes will face Morehead State, Alabama A&M, and Notre Dame before opening Big Ten play at Purdue.