Credit to: gopurpleaces.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Converting 70% of their field goal attempts in the second half, Ohio State defeated the University of Evansville men’s basketball team by a final score of 80-30 on Tuesday at Value City Arena.
“I was really proud of the group for their effort in the first half, but a game is 40 minutes. We need to keep that intensity up until the final horn,” UE head men’s basketball coach David Ragland said. “Ohio State is an excellent offensive team and we had them feeling uncomfortable in the first half. That was because of our efforts. We just need to keep that level of intensity for the entire 40 minutes.”
Gabriel Pozzato led the Purple Aces with eight points while Michael Day finished the evening with seven. Three Buckeyes reached double figures with Devin Royal scoring 20 points while grabbing a game-high 12 boards. It was the first time the Aces did not have a double-digit scorer since Feb. 23, 2022 at Loyola.
Defense was the name of the game in the first half as Ohio State shot 29.2% while the Purple Aces completed the opening 20 minutes hitting 12.9% of their attempts. Michael Day knocked down an early 3-pointer to give Evansville its first lead of the game at 5-2. After the Buckeyes tied it up, Tayshawn Comer hit a shot to make it an 8-5 game at the 13:35 mark.
Evansville’s defense held OSU to just one field goal make in its first nine attempts and a 2-for-12 start overall. The Buckeyes slowly made their way back, tying things up at 9-9 before taking an 11-9 lead. The Aces continued to fight back as Josh Hughes converted from downtown to knot the game at 12-12 inside of the 7-minute mark.
After Ohio State jumped back in front at 16-14, their defense clamped down even more to complete the first half. The Buckeyes scored the final 12 points to take a 28-14 advantage at the break.
Comer hit Evansville’s first field goal of the second half as the Aces worked to remain within shouting distance, but the Buckeyes proved to be too much. Their largest lead was the final score as they took the game by a final of 80-30. The scoring output for the Aces was the fewest since the team scored 23 against Kentucky Wesleyan on Feb. 9, 1963 before the institution of the shot clock.
As a team, UE shot 19.0% for the game while the Buckeyes finished at 51.9%. OSU wrapped up the game with a 48-28 lead on the glass. UE is back home for its next two games beginning on Friday against Green Bay.
