No. 21 Alabama Downs Ohio State – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2001
Box Score| Notes
By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Erwin Dudley scored 17 points and No. 21 Alabama shot 10-of-18 from 3-point range in an 85-67 victory over Ohio State on Saturday.
The Crimson Tide (20-5) had five players score in double figures and blocked 10 shots to secure their first 20-win season in six years.
Ohio State (17-9) had beaten three ranked teams in its past six games, and won four in a row coming into only the fifth meeting with Alabama.
The Tide, widely criticized because of an otherwise weak nonconference schedule, hit 51 percent of their shots while holding the Buckeyes to 38 percent.
Dudley, coming off a 4-of-16 performance against South Carolina, scored 14 points in the first half. Travis Stinnett had 15 points and a career-high seven assists and was 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
Kenny Walker added 12 points and Terrance Meade 11. The Southeastern Conference’s leading scorer, Rod Grizzard, had 10 points despite 2-of-10 shooting.
Grizzard also blocked four shots.
Boban Savovic led Ohio State with 17 points, while Brian Brown had 16 and reserve Brent Darby added 15. The rest of the Buckeyes team combined for eight points as only six players scored.
Johnson blocked three shots, leaving him two shy of Penn State’s Calvin Booth’s Big Ten career record of 428.
The Tide built on a seven-point halftime lead with four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes and made 6 of 8 from long range in the second half. Then, Walker hit two straight baskets and Grizzard drained a 3-pointer as Alabama went up 65-49 with 8:10 left.
Ohio State couldn’t get closer than 11 points after that.
Alabama closed the first half on a 12-3 run to take a 39-32 lead, holding the Buckeyes scoreless in the final 2:30.
The run was aided when Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien was whistled for a technical for protesting an offensive foul call against Will Dudley, his third.
Stinnett and Martin each hit 1-of-2 free throws. Alabama went just 9-of-16 from the line, missing the front end of two straight 1-and-1 situations.
Dudley, coming off a 4-for-16 performance against South Carolina, made all five field goals and had 14 points in the half.
Alabama has won 18 in a row at home, including a school-record 15 wins this season.
