Buckeyes Rally Against Albany, 87-62 – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov 20, 2001
Box Score| Quotes| Notes
By ANDY RESNIK
Associated Press Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Zach Williams scored a career-high 24 points and Ohio State used a 23-0 second-half run to overcome a miserable start and beat Albany 87-62 Tuesday night.
The Buckeyes (2-0) committed 12 turnovers – to just seven assists – in the first half and didn’t defend Albany’s hot-shooting guards to fall behind 41-34 at halftime.
Ohio State turned up the defensive pressure in the second half and rallied when Albany (0-2) finally cooled off. The Great Danes went scoreless for nearly 10 minutes as the Buckeyes turned a 48-44 deficit into a 67-48 lead with 6:33 to play.
Williams scored eight points in the surge, including a layup that put Ohio State ahead 50-48, its first lead since 8-7.
Brent Darby put up nine of his 15 points during the run. Brian Brown added 22 points and Boban Savovic 10 for the Buckeyes, who won their first-ever meeting against the Great Danes.
Williams hit on a variety of layups, short jumpers and hooks to pass his previous high of 19 points last December against Robert Morris.
Albany used the sharp-shooting of E.J. Gallup, who scored 23 points, and the quickness of Earv Opong to build a first-half lead, but could get nothing going after halftime.
The Great Danes turned the ball over 19 times in the second half, made just 8-of-22 field goals and had only one assist.
It was the exact opposite of the first half, when the Great Danes made 17-of-26 shots and led by as many as seven points four times.
Gallup scored 18 points and hit 4-of-5 3-pointers in the first half, and Opong – a 5-foot-7 spark plug – constantly eluded Brown and Darby to post six points and five assists.
The Buckeyes clamped down on both players in the second half. Gallup hit only 2-of-8 shots in the second half – after a 6-of-8 first half – and Opong didn’t have an assist. He finished with 11 points.
