Four in Double Figures as Buckeyes Top Towson 85-74

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the second consecutive game, Ohio State forward Kyle Young led the team in scoring, as his career-high 18 points paced four Buckeyes (7-2, 1-0) in double figures in an 85-74 victory over Towson on Wednesday night.

Young was 6-of-7 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from long range. He has now scored 34 points over the last two games.

Senior Justin Ahrens made four of his season-high tying five three-pointers in the second half to help the Buckeyes keep Towson as bay. Ahrens finished with 16 points.

E.J. Liddell scored 15 points, had seven rebounds, dished-out three assists and was 8-of-8 from the foul line. Sophomore Zed Key came up one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

The Buckeyes shot a season-best 57.4 percent (27-of-47) from the floor and made 10 three-pointers. That marked the fifth game this season with 10 or more threes.

Despite forcing a season-high 20 turnovers, Ohio State couldn’t fully pull away from Towson. The Tigers made 12 three-pointers and were 14-of-17 from the line to remain within striking distance the whole way.

The teams started the game by trading runs. The Buckeyes opened with a 10-0 run to take a 12-3 lead and Towson responded with a 13-2 run to retake a 21-17 edge. The game settled down after that and a fade-away jumper at the end of the shot clock by Key put the Buckeyes in front 33-32 at the break.

With the scored tied 43-43, Malaki Branham drove and helped create on back-to-back scoring possessions to start a 12-2 Buckeye run. The freshman putback his own miss on the first drive and then he found Young for his second three-ball. The run gave the Buckeyes a 55-45 lead at the under-12 timeout and Towson wouldn’t get closer than nine the rest of the way.

Notes

• Ohio State remains unbeaten at home at 5-0
• Zed Key has scored in double figures five times this season after finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds.
• Kyle Young has made his last six three-point attempts
• Young has scored 34 points over the last two games, tying the most points in back-to-back games in his career. He also scored 16 points and 18 points against Iowa and Maryland last February.
• Eugene Brown III saw his first action since suffering a concussion against Xavier on Nov. 18. He grabbed a defensive rebound on his second possession and then promptly knocked-down a three-pointer on the ensuing offensive possession.
• Justin Ahrens has made three or more three-pointers four times this season and the Buckeyes 24 times in his career. The Buckeyes are 21-3 when he makes three or more three-pointers in a game.
• The Buckeyes shot a season-best 57.4 percent and have not shot 50 percent or better five times this season.
• Ohio State scored a season-high 52 points in the second half and were 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) shooting. That was the third half this season of exactly 14-of-24 shooting.

Up Next

The Buckeyes return to Big Ten play this Saturday when they host Wisconsin. Tip-off is set for Noon on BTN. The Badgers are coming off a great comeback victory on Indiana on Wednesday, erasing a 22-point deficit to win 64-59.

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