Buckeyes Roll Past Florida Atlantic – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/17/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
December 17, 1998
Box Score | Game Notes & Quotes
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Scoonie Penn scored 21 points and had a hand in eight points during a 10-0 first-half run as Ohio State matched its win total from a year ago with a 99-70 victory over Florida Atlantic.
The victory moved the Buckeyes, 8-22 a year ago, to 8-0 at the new $110-million Value City Arena. Ohio State, which has lost both of its road games, plays its next five games away from home.
The streak includes landslide wins over Army and Tennessee Tech and three teams who are full-fledged Division I members for the first time this season, Oakland (Mich.), Tennessee-Martin and the Owls (3-6).
Michael Redd, last year’s top freshman scorer in the country, led the Buckeyes with 26 points. Jon Sanderson added 14 and Boban Savovic 10.
Damon Arnette scored 28 points and Rino Bevis had 12.
Unlike in their previous home blowouts, the Buckeyes found themselves in a ballgame midway through the opening half.
Arnette’s bucket at the 8:34 mark pulled the Owls to 27-25. But the Buckeyes came right back on Sanderson’s 10-footer and, after Arnette missed a 3-pointer, Penn popped in a short shot to make it 31-25.
The Owls never got closer than four points again.
Sanderson’s layup off a Penn assist at the 7:17 mark ignited a 10-0 run. Penn scored five points in the surge and assisted on two other baskets.
Florida Atlantic was 0-for-7 from the field to the Buckeyes’ 4-for-6 during the run.
Ahead 55-36 at the half, the Buckeyes reeled off 19 of the first 23 points of the second half for a 74-40 lead – their largest of the game.
The loudest cheers from a crowd of 16,201 came in the final seconds when Kwadjo Steele missed a free throw and Savovic a 3-pointer that would have allowed the Buckeyes to reach 100 points.
By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer
