Victory is Sweet for Ohio State – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/13/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 13, 1999
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Box Score
By STEVE HERMAN%^$
AP Sports Writer%^$
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Now Detroit knows how its opponents felt all season%^$long.%^$
The Titans – third in the nation in field goal percentage defense, second in%^$scoring defense – did not get a point the first 10 minutes as Ohio State raced%^$to a 75-44 victory in the second round of the NCAA South regional Saturday%^$night.%^$
“They were definitely frustrated,” said Michael Redd, who matched teammate%^$Scoonie Penn with 15 points each as the fourth-seeded Buckeyes (25-8) advanced%^$to the regional semifinals Thursday in Knoxville, Tenn. They’ll play top-seeded%^$Auburn, which beat Oklahoma State 81-74 in the first game at the RCA Dome.%^$
“It was a credit to our defense,” Redd said of the 10-minute shutout of%^$Detroit. “We were trying to shut them down, and you could tell they were%^$getting frustrated.”%^$
Detroit (25-6), the No. 12 seed, missed its first 13 shots and 17 of its%^$first 18. The Titans, who held their opponents to 37 percent shooting and 54.7%^$points a game for the season, managed 20 percent in the first half as Ohio%^$State jumped ahead 12-0 in the first eight minutes.%^$
“Never did I think we’d put ourselves in the position we were tonight. We%^$got outstanding defense,” Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien said. “Neither team%^$had good offensive play in the first half, but we had fine defensive play and%^$in the second half combined it with good offense, which was basically the%^$difference.”%^$
The Buckeyes built their lead to 16 points late in the first period, took a%^$25-12 lead at halftime and let Detroit no closer than 11 points early in the%^$second half.%^$
After a 3-pointer by the Titans’ Desmond Ferguson made it 29-18, Redd scored%^$for Ohio State, Penn hit a 3-pointer and Brian Brown hit a pair of 3s to push%^$the lead to 40-18. Penn, who also had a career-high 12 rebounds, hit three%^$3-pointers for the game, giving him a school record 79 for the season.%^$
Penn was just 5-for-15 from the field, however, and Redd was only slightly%^$better at 7-for-15.%^$
“If my shot is not on, I’m not going to be concerned about that,” said%^$Penn, a third-team All-American. “I can be a floor leader or a rebounder like%^$I was today, whatever it takes to win.”%^$
The 12 rebounds were two better than his former career best at Boston%^$College and five more than his previous best since he transferred to Ohio State%^$with O’Brien two years ago.%^$
“We did a tremendous job boxing out,” the 5-foot-10 guard said. “And we%^$finally came up against a team that wasn’t bigger than we are.”%^$
Detroit’s shooting improved in the second half – finishing at 30.8 percent%^$for the game – but Ohio State continued widening the lead. The final score%^$matched the biggest lead of the game.%^$
“It was a tough loss for us. We just didn’t play well,” Detroit coach%^$Perry Watson said. “I wish we had played as well as we could have. It’s never%^$great to go out on a loss.%^$
“Even if you look at the stats at halftime, they weren’t burning it up,”%^$Watson said. “Even as bad as we were playing, we were still right there.”%^$
The Titans were led by Jermaine Jackson, who had 16 of his 18 points in the%^$second half. Rashad Phillips, who scored the first Detroit basket with 10:11 to%^$go in the first half, added nine points.%^$
“We got good looks and good shots, but they didn’t go down, and they came%^$down and knocked down their shots,” Jackson said. “It was hard to come back%^$against a good team like that.”%^$
Ohio State’s first-half shooting was nothing to boast about – 26 percent -%^$but it sure beat Detroit, which couldn’t find the basket from the inside or%^$out, or, for that matter, from the free throw line, either.%^$
The first five shots by the Titans were all missed 3-point attempts. The%^$next five were from inside the 3-point line but with no better success. Three%^$more misses made Detroit 0-for-13 before Phillips’ short floater from the%^$middle of the lane gave Detroit its first points and brought a huge cheer from%^$the crowd of 32,758.%^$
The Titans managed two consecutive baskets only once the entire game, one by%^$Bacari Alexander and then a steal and layup by Jackson that made it 13-6. Four%^$of those first six Detroit points came off Ohio State turnovers, and the Titans%^$twice missed the first of possible one-and-one free throw opportunities in the%^$first half and were just 6-for-12 from the line for the game.%^$
Ohio State shot 44 percent for the game and outrebounded Detroit 53-26, with%^$George Reese getting 15 boards for the Buckeyes.
