Buckeyes’ Victory Over Morehead State Gives O’Brien 300 Career Wins – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/16/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2000
Box Score| Quotes| Notes
By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sean Connolly scored 15 points and hit two 3-pointers in a 16-4 first-half surge as Ohio State beat Morehead State 93-62 on Saturday night.
The Buckeyes’ fifth win in a row was the 300th victory of coach Jim O’Brien’s 19-year career. O’Brien coached four seasons at St. Bonaventure and 11 years at his alma mater, Boston College, before coming to Ohio State four years ago. He is now 300-257.
Will Dudley came off the bench to score 12 points and Zach Williams added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Ohio State (7-2). Brian Brown had 10 points and seven assists and Ken Johnson also had 10 points for the Buckeyes, who led by as many as 35 points in the second half.
David Aliu and Ricky Minard each scored 12 points and Marquis Sykes had 11 for Morehead State (3-3).
The Buckeyes took control after the Eagles pulled even at 16-16 on a 3-pointer by Greg Hendricks at the 12:06 mark. Over the next 5 1/2 minutes, Ohio State built its lead to 32-20. Connolly’s six points led five Buckeyes who scored during the surge.
Ohio State led 44-31 at the half, piling up a 23-9 rebounding advantage.
Morehead State trailed 49-35 after Ricky Minard’s bucket at the 16:49 mark of the second half, but Ohio State ran off the next nine points with four players scoring.
The Buckeyes finished with a 43-19 edge on the boards while shooting 55 percent from the field. Connolly hit 5-of-6 3-point attempts, missing both of his shots inside the arc.
The game was a homecoming of sorts for three Morehead State players: Minard and Sykes, former high school teammates in Mansfield, and Andy Keating of Germantown.
The game was Ohio State’s fifth in a nine-game home stand that continues through the Buckeyes’ Big Ten opener Jan. 3 against Northwestern. The last time Ohio State hosted nine games in a row was at the start of the 1910 season.
