Men’s Basketball Downs Denver – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/7/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2000
Box Score| Quotes| Notes
By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ken Johnson scored 16 points and Ohio State’s pressure defense forced an arena-record 32 turnovers in an 83-46 victory over Denver on Thursday night.
The 32 turnovers was the most by one team in the three years Value City Arena has been open. Army had turned the ball over 27 times in a 1998 loss to the Buckeyes.
Brent Darby added 12 points and Brian Brown had 11 for Ohio State (4-2). All 13 players on the roster scored.
B.J. Pratt scored 17 points for Denver (2-4), which came in averaging 18 turnovers a game. Making matters worse, the Pioneers were without starting guard Arthur Ireland, left behind to complete some classwork.
Ohio State hit 64 percent of its shots in the first half, but it was what happened at the other end of the floor that was even more decisive as the Buckeyes took a 43-18 lead.
The Pioneers totaled 18 turnovers – going 8 minutes without catching iron.
Over a span of 11 possessions, Denver had nine turnovers, had a shot blocked and put up an air ball.
Kevin Overton’s rebound follow at the 14:05 mark tied the game at 11. The Pioneers didn’t score again until B.J. Pratt’s 3-pointer at the 4:22 mark.
While Ohio State was running off 19 consecutive points, Denver was missing all six of its shots from the field with nine turnovers.
Six players scored for the Buckeyes in the surge, with Johnson, Zach Williams and Darby each scoring four points. Denver then started the second half with seven turnovers on its first eight possessions. Ohio State’s biggest lead was 61-20.
Ohio State ended up 35 of 62 from the field for 56 percent.
The crowd was listed as 17,566 at Value City Arena, but over half left by the midpoint of the second half.
Denver’s Steve Simmons was loudly booed every time he touched the ball, the result of a first-half skirmish with Ohio State’s Boban Savovic.
