Buckeyes Break Down Bulldogs, 65-45 – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2000%^$%^$
%^$%^$%^$%^$Box Score|%^$Quotes|%^$Notes%^$%^$%^$%^$%^$%^$%^$%^$%^$
%^$By RUSTY MILLER
%^$AP Sports Writer%^$
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Sean Connolly scored eight of his 18 points in a 19-7%^$run to start the second half as Ohio State beat Yale 65-45 Friday night in the%^$season opener for both teams.%^$
The Buckeyes, who shared last year’s Big Ten title with national champion%^$Michigan State, ran their record in home openers to 85-17.%^$
Connolly was making his first appearance for Ohio State. He sat out last%^$year after transferring from Providence, where he hit 64 3-pointers while%^$starting every game as a freshman two seasons ago.%^$
Connolly hit 7-of-11 shots from the field including 4-of-7 3-pointers. He%^$also added six rebounds.%^$
Brian Brown, returning for his third year as a starter, was the only other%^$Buckeyes player in double figures with 16 points. Center Ken Johnson, who led%^$the nation in blocked shots a year ago, had seven points, five rebounds and%^$five blocks.%^$
Chris Leanza led Yale with 10 points.%^$
Ohio State must replace the 46 points a game supplied a year ago by Scoonie%^$Penn, George Reese and Michael Redd. Penn and Reese graduated and are now%^$playing professionally overseas, while Redd departed a year early and was%^$drafted in the second round by the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.%^$
At times the Buckeyes looked as if they missed their big three from a year%^$ago, piling up more turnovers (13) than field goals (10) while taking a 28-18%^$halftime lead.%^$
Connolly hit a pair of 3-pointers and also banged in a 10-foot runner as%^$Ohio State pulled away at the outset of the second half. Boban Savovic added a%^$3-pointer as the Buckeyes built a 47-25 lead.%^$
Yale countered by scoring 10 of the next 12 points, but on successive trips%^$down the floor Brown hit a 3-pointer, Connolly made another 3 and Brown added a%^$three-point play to push the lead back to 58-37.%^$
The Bulldogs never got closer than 19 points again.%^$
Ohio State started slowly before flexing its muscle.%^$
With the score tied at 4, Ohio State ran off the next nine points while%^$keeping the Bulldogs scoreless for more than six minutes.%^$
Brown followed a Savovic miss and later added a layup in the spurt, while%^$Brent Darby chipped in with a 3-pointer and Connolly scored inside off a%^$Savovic steal and assist.%^$
Yale got as close as 22-15 with a 6-2 run, but a three-point play by Johnson%^$and Connolly’s 3-pointer spurred the Buckeyes’ halftime lead.
