Ohio State Rolls Over Mountaineers, Advances To NCAA Second Round – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2000%^$
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By TOM SHARP
%^$AP Sports Writer%^$
NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Ohio State wanted to send a message to the NCAA%^$tournament field. It was Appalachian State’s tough luck to be standing in the%^$way.%^$
“It’s almost like we were deer in headlights,” Appalachian State coach%^$Buzz Peterson said Friday night after the Buckeyes routed the Mountaineers%^$87-61 in the first round of the South Regional. “We were just startled there%^$for the first few minutes.”%^$
The third-seeded Buckeyes scored on 10 of their first 11 possessions,%^$hitting from the inside and outside, while clamping an aggressive defense on%^$the Mountaineers. Add it up and the game was effectively over after about 7 1/2%^$minutes.%^$
“From the beginning we dictated how this game was going to play out,” said%^$Ohio State point guard Scoonie Penn, who scored 23 points by hitting 9-of-11%^$shots, including 5-of-7 3-pointers.%^$
The Buckeyes (23-6) led 23-7 after 7 1/2 minutes and were never seriously%^$threatened by the Southern Conference champion Mountaineers (23-9). The lead%^$was 21 points at the half and was never below 16 points in the second half.%^$
“The early lead was critical,” Buckeyes coach Jim O’Brien said. “It%^$really set the tone. It was obvious to me that once we began playing like we%^$did we got some easy baskets, we were guarding them well and making it hard for%^$them to shoot, and we feed on that. The longer it went the more confident we%^$got.”%^$
Ohio State plays the winner of the Arkansas-Miami game in the second round%^$Sunday.%^$
Michael Redd added 21 points for Ohio State, and George Reese had 19. Tyson%^$Patterson led Appalachian State with 15 points, and Rufus Leach with 11.%^$
The Big Ten co-champion Buckeyes, looking for a return to the Final Four,%^$were overpowering early. Penn and Redd hit from outside and Ken Johnson%^$dominated the middle. If the Buckeyes missed a shot they scored off the%^$rebound.%^$
The Mountaineers seemed glued to the floor as Ohio State ran its sets to%^$perfection and hit the open shots.%^$
“I could see them going a long way (in the tournament),” Peterson said.%^$”Guards are key for you in this tournament, and they don’t get much better%^$than Scoonie Penn. They made the Final Four last year and I see no reason they%^$can’t make it again.”%^$
The Buckeyes shot 58 percent (34-of-59), including 9-of-15 on 3-point%^$attempts. The Mountaineers shot just 39 percent.%^$
After some shooting struggles down the stretch of the Big Ten race, it was a%^$relief to O’Brien to see his team, especially Penn, regain the touch.%^$
“I have really felt our best offensive game was yet to come, but having%^$said that, we are running out of time here,” O’Brien said. “Scoonie shot%^$exceptionally well in the shoot-around today. I have a lot of confidence in%^$this kid. He’s a much better shooter than he’s demonstrated all season. I’m%^$just praying we’ll come out of this and play like we’re capable of playing.”%^$
Appalachian State righted itself slightly after Ohio State’s early surge,%^$and cut the lead to 27-13 on a 3-pointer. But the Buckeyes answered with an%^$11-0 run for their largest lead of the game, 25 points at 38-13 with 7:10 left%^$in the half.
