The Ohio State Men’s Basketball European Tour – Ohio State Buckeyes
8/22/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
%^$Follow the Ohio State Men’s Basketball Team’s while they’re on their European Tour. Updates to this page will occur daily and will include game recaps, general updates and journal entries by guard Brian Brown.%^$
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Ohio State European Tour Results%^$
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%^$Tue. Aug 21
%^$Ohio State Men’s Basketball Travel Diary
%^$ROME – The Ohio State Buckeyes arrived in Rome at about 8 a.m. Tuesday after an eight-hour flight from Newark, N.J. The team checked into its hotel about 9 a.m., showered and hit the streets of Rome to sightsee and walk off the jet lag caused by the six-hour time difference between Western Europe and Columbus.%^$
%^$The first order of business was to exchange U.S. currency for Italian lira. Once the traveling party got a grip on the exchange rate (2,100 lira for each U.S. dollar) the group of 80 players, coaches, supporters and alumni scattered to take in the sights, tastes and sounds of Rome.%^$
%^$It did not take long to realize the numerous scooters, buses and compact cars ruled the streets, alleys and walkways of Rome. Players and staff were advised to keep a careful eye on all motorized traffic.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes will have breakfast early Wednesday before taking a tour of the Vatican at about 9:30 a.m. The team then will walk to practice in late afternoon and will have the evening free.%^$
%^$%^$Brian Brown Diary — Day One
%^$I have been to France twice but this trip will be better because the places we are going will be better than the places I have been to in France. I traveled once to Europe with my Riverside Church AAU team and once with my high school Bishop Loughlin. Here in Italy I am looking forward to getting to know my teammates better, getting some wins and having a good time. We will try to see some major tourists sights and get out on the town. We have been looking forward to this trip for a long time. Our tour guide really got us excited before we left. He told us about all the things we were going to see and do.%^$
%^$Practice has been upbeat. We had a lot of scrimmages against each other. I think this trip gives everybody a head start on the season. It will help us get in a flow as teammates.%^$
%^$I expect the games to be rough with a lot of physical play. We will not get any calls from the referees, especially traveling calls. They get away with two steps over here.%^$
%^$The trip over was long and tiring, but that comes with the territory. I brought my portable DVD player, checkers and cards. We will be fine.%^$
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%^$Wed. Aug 22
%^$Ohio State Men’s Basketball Travel Diary
%^$ROME – A tour of Vatican City and a stop to see the pope started the second day of the Ohio State men’s basketball team’s trip to Europe.%^$
%^$The traveling party was able to see the pope as he arrived to address a crowd of several thousand people from all over of the globe in an indoor auditorium on the Vatican City grounds.%^$
%^$An English-speaking priest, who acknowledged various groups visiting the Vatican from the United States, recognized the Ohio State contingent just after the pope began his 90-minute program.%^$
%^$The traveling party then split into small groups to take in the various museums located on the Vatican City property. Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel were among the highlights of the five-hour excursion. Ancient sculptures, tapestries, paintings, writings and artifacts were on display within the walls and in the courtyards of the complex housing the Vatican Museums.%^$
%^$As players walked the grounds, sightseers from all over the world asked to take photographs with individuals and groups of Ohio State student-athletes.%^$
%^$A team practice, scheduled for the afternoon, was cancelled because a sufficient facility was not available.%^$
%^$The team had the afternoon free and will travel to Venice by train Thursday morning.%^$
%^$Brian Brown Diary — Day Two
%^$The Vatican City was an awesome place. It is something I’ll be able to tell my kids and other people about. It was a pleasure to get an opportunity to go there. The museums were remarkable. It showed me about what the talented and gifted people were able to do in those times. People from all over the country who were there with us today were very into their religion and everything that was going on. Seeing the pope was something that I will remember for the rest of my life. How many people will be able to say they went to Rome and saw the pope? Not that many. Saint Peter’s was a new experience for me seeing the preserved remains of some of the former popes was a great experience. I saw a couple women tearing up and crying. The architecture was amazing. It is incredible to think people were able to create all the sculptures without technology. They were obviously gifted people.%^$
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%^$Thurs. Aug 23
%^$Ohio State Men’s Basketball Travel Diary
%^$VENICE – First it was a bus, then a train and finally a boat that moved the Ohio State men’s basketball team from Rome to Venice Thursday to start the second leg of the Buckeyes’ 16-day European Tour.%^$
%^$The traveling party woke early for a short bus ride to the train station in Rome. A train carried the group six hours north through fields of grapes, sunflowers, and various other agricultural endeavors.%^$
%^$Small communities dotted the breath-taking mountains and surrounding valleys. Time was passed gazing at the passing scenery, playing cards, and socializing in the train’s club car.%^$
%^$The train arrived in Venice around 6:00 p.m. A water taxi carried the Buckeyes through the canals of Venice to the team hotel. A practice was held in the late evening in preparation for the first scheduled game Friday against the Venice Basketball Club. The team will have most of Friday free to tour the city.%^$
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%^$Fri. Aug 24
%^$Ohio State Men’s Basketball Travel Diary
%^$VENICE – The Ohio State men’s basketball team was supposed to play the Padova Basketball Club Friday to open competition on the squad’s tour of Europe, but injuries to Padova players prevented the game from taking place.%^$
%^$Ohio State practiced instead at a local gym and will open play Saturday against the Navaro Basketball Club in Bormio, Italy, the summer training site of several Italian professional teams.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes are still scheduled to play seven games (possibly eight) before returning to Columbus Sept. 4.%^$
%^$The team and traveling party will head to Lugano, Switzerland following the game Saturday. The group will stay in Switzerland through Aug. 29 before traveling to Paris Aug. 30-Sept. 1. The trip concludes in Amsterdam Sept. 2-4.%^$
%^$Captain Brian Brown was disappointed the team’s first game was cancelled.%^$
%^$”We were all looking forward to play the game,” Brown said. “That messed things up a little.”%^$
%^$Players spent the extra time in Venice catching up on rest. Brown, a senior guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., said many of the players intended to explore the city after practice.%^$
%^$”I went out this morning and took some pictures of the people in gondolas, the canals and some of the stores you don’t find in the States,” Brown said. “Tonight we’ll maybe try to find a disco, get some food and experience the night life. The people here are friendlier and the food is better than it was in Rome.”%^$
%^$Velimir Radinovic, the Buckeyes’ sophomore center from Oakville, Ontario, traveled to Brazil and France with the Canadian Junior National Team the summer before his freshman year. He said the current trip outside North America is similar but there is more to see.%^$
%^$”The food here has been better than on my other trips,” Radinovic said. “But here you still don’t speak the language and you have to try and pick up a little here and there.”%^$
%^$Shaun Smith, a junior guard from Cincinnati, said the trip has been a great experience to date.%^$
%^$”Rome is a beautiful city,” Smith said. “The places there, like the Coliseum, are things you just don’t have in the United States.”%^$
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%^$Sat. Aug 25
%^$LUGANO, Switzerland – Jim O’Brien, Ohio State head men’s basketball coach, was concerned his team would suffer from the high altitude, fatigue and weary legs as the Buckeyes warmed up to face its first competition of a seven-game European tour Saturday in Bormio, Italy.%^$
%^$His concerns were evident in the early going against the Cimberio Basketball Club of Navarro, Italy, but Ohio State shook off its travel weariness to win the opener, 85-74.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes left their hotel in Venice, Italy, about 8:45 a.m. Saturday. The team boarded a bus following a ride on a water taxi on the Grand Canal at about 10 a.m. A seven-hour climb through the mountains of Northern Italy followed before arriving in Bormio about 75-minutes before the 6 p.m. tip.%^$
%^$Senior guard Boban Savovic led the way for Ohio State with a game-high 24 points, which included 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. He also added three assists and four rebounds.%^$
%^$O’Brien credited Savovic and senior guard Brian Brown’s experience for the win.%^$
%^$”I was thrilled with our effort after a seven-hour bus ride,” O’Brien said. “Our guards were crucial. I thought we played really hard. The strength of our team is our backcourt and it showed today.%^$
%^$”I was worried about the altitude, tired legs and fatigue,” O’Brien said. “We were able to keep our guys fresh by playing all 11 guys. (Walkons) Ryan Heflin and Shaun Smith did a great job filling in for (Brent) Darby in the second half.”%^$
%^$Darby, a junior from Detroit, Mich., became ill near the end of the bus trip and suffered extreme fatigue at the half. He did not play in the final two quarters of the game but is expected to be available when the Buckeyes face the Lugano Basketball Club Monday.%^$
%^$Brown tallied 17 points after a slow start (2-11 in the first half). He connected on 4-of-5 shots in the final 20 minutes to go along with a game-high nine assists. Junior guard Sean Connolly added 14 points followed by senior center Will Dudley’s 11. Sophomore center Velimir Radinovic led the Buckeyes with seven rebounds followed by sophomore Zach Williams with six.%^$
%^$Savovic said it helped that he has played against international competition in the past.%^$
%^$”I have played on these courts before and I know how the Europeans play,” Savovic said. “We were able to practice a couple times over here so the altitude did not bother us too much. The team could not wait to get out and play. I was able to find some open space and hit some shots. The big men did a great job of screening for me.”%^$
%^$Brown said the game was similar to a Big Ten contest because of the physical nature of the European players.%^$
%^$”It was a tough game to play after the long trip,” Brown said. “It was a physical game. I was a little off to start out but we came together and won. I knew after we got off to a slow start we would regroup, come back and win the game.”%^$
%^$Ohio State shot 30-of-70 from the field (.429) and 7-of-16 (.438) from 3-point range. Cimberio connected on 29-of-58 (.500) but could not keep from fouling the quicker Buckeyes. Ohio State (18-of-24) outshot Cimberio (8-of-20) by 10 from the charity stripe. The Buckeye defense held Cimberio to 8-of-21 (.381) from long range.%^$
%^$Note: The team spent Sunday resting around the hotel in Lugano. Most of the others associated with the trip took a bus tour around Lugano (Switzerland) and Como (Italy) lakes.%^$
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%^$Mon. Aug 27
%^$LUGANO, Switzerland-Ohio State improved to 2-0 on the team’s trip to Europe with a hard-fought 113-86 win over the Lugano Basketball Club Monday. Senior Brian Brown led the squad with 25 points to lead a group of seven Buckeyes in double figures.%^$
%^$The teams were called for a combined 52 fouls resulting in 69 foul shots. The Buckeyes knocked down 20-of-32 attempts while Lugano connected on 23-of-37.%^$
%^$Jim O’Brien, Ohio State head coach, said the frontcourt players learned some valuable lessons against the experienced Lugano inside players. But in the end, it was the second-consecutive game of solid guard play that solidified the win for the Buckeyes.%^$
%^$”Our big guys are getting some valuable experience over here,” O’Brien said. “It was a physical game with loads of contact under the basket. Our big guys are young and they were battling men tonight but they held their own.%^$
%^$”Again, it was our guards who carried us,” O’Brien said. “That was evident by the number of guys we had in double figures.”%^$
%^$Behind Brown, senior Boban Savovic scored 14 points followed by 13 each by junior Brent Darby, sophomore Zach Williams and senior Tim Martin. Junior Sean Connolly added 12 followed by 11 from Radinovic.%^$
%^$Darby led the way with seven assists followed by Brown with six. Radinovic, who along with Connolly, had a team-high four rebounds, said the international trapezoid-shaped lane was not for the faint of heart.%^$
%^$”This was an extremely physical game,” Radinovic said. “It was hard to hold our own underneath. It was frustrating but we didn’t let their big guys get in our heads.”%^$
%^$Brown said the Buckeye big men would benefit from the European style of play.%^$
%^$”It was tough inside for our big guys,” Brown said. “It was really rough once you got inside the lane. It will be good down the road for our big guys to have played in games like this. For me, it has been tough getting used to the rules. They get away with so much traveling over here with the extra step.%^$
%^$”When our guys make back cuts toward the basket, the refs allow them to hold us,” he said. “They also get away with lane violations all the time on free throws. It is frustrating but we have been able to overcome the obstacles so far.”%^$
%^$The Buckeyes shot 45-of-77 (.584) from the field and 3-of-15 (.200) from 3-point range. Lugano connected on 34-of-68 (.500) shots from the field and 5-of-13 (.385) from long range.%^$
%^$Ohio State will spend most of Tuesday traveling by bus to Grindewald, Switzerland, with an afternoon stop in Luzern for shopping and lunch. The Buckeyes will face the Fribourg Olympic Basketball Club Wednesday in Grindewald before heading to Paris Thursday for three days.%^$
%^$The trip concludes with two days in Amsterdam Sept. 2-3. The Buckeyes return to Columbus Sept. 4.%^$
%^$Buckeyes Take Advantage of Free Time in Lugano
%^$”This has been the best place we have traveled to so far,” Brown said of Ohio State’s stay in Lugano, Switzerland. “We have had tons of fun so far. On Sunday we spent the day swimming in Lake Lugano. We rented boats, went out to the middle of the lake and went swimming. We found a tree hanging over the lake with a rope attached. We spent some time swinging from the rope into the water. That was a great time.%^$
%^$”Switzerland is nice,” he said. “The people have been friendly and the food is really good. The team has been getting along really well considering we have spent so much time right on top of each other during the long bus trips. I am surprised we have not gotten into any arguments. Everyone has spent time together walking around, playing cards and seeing the cities.”%^$
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%^$Tues. Aug 28
%^$GRINDELWALD, Switzerland-Day nine of the Ohio State men’s basketball team’s trip to Europe was spent traveling by bus and shopping through central Switzerland’s massive mountain range.%^$
%^$The team left Lugano, Switzerland, after breakfast for a two-hour drive to Luzern, Switzerland, for shopping and lunch. Following just over two hours of browsing and light shopping, the team traveled the final two hours to Grindewald, arriving just after 4 p.m.%^$
%^$The scenic drive took the Buckeyes through and around spectacular views of the Switzerland countryside.%^$
%^$Waterfalls cascading from mountain peaks that reached above partly cloudy skies fed rivers of rapids that eventually filled one of several green-tinted lakes passed along the way.%^$
%^$Plush rolling bright green fields surrounded farm houses and small communities in the low valleys and higher elevations. The two large tour busses used to move the traveling party snaked through mountains and valleys on narrow two-lane highways.%^$
%^$The roadways hugged the mountainsides wherever possible and cut through in other spots, often for several miles in dark tunnels.%^$
%^$Grindelwald is located beneath the Jungfrau Region of Switzerland, which is an area of several mountain peaks with elevations reaching close to 14,000 feet. German is the language of choice at most of the shops and restaurants in the area.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes will play their third game of the tour Wednesday in Fribourg, Switzerland, against the Fribourg Olympic Basketball Club. The game will be played at 8 p.m. Players, coaches and many of the 80 people traveling with the Buckeyes planned to take a train or ski lift toward the Jungfrau Region peaks before leaving for the game at 6 p.m.%^$
%^$The Buckeye players spent Tuesday evening swimming in the hotel pool, resting and shopping for groceries at a local market.%^$
%^$After the game Wednesday, Ohio State will travel to Bern, Switzerland early Thursday to catch a speed train to Paris.%^$
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%^$Wed. Aug 29
%^$Darby Leads Buckeyes To Third Win
%^$GRINDELWALD, Switzerland-Brent Darby, a junior guard for the Ohio State men’s basketball team, scored 21 points to lead the Buckeyes to its third win, a 96-63 victory over Fribourg Olympic, during the team’s European tour.%^$
%^$Darby became the third different Buckeye guard to lead Ohio State in scoring on the trip.%^$
%^$Jim O’Brien, head coach of the Buckeyes, said it is a positive to have a different player set the tone offensively.%^$
%^$”I think this is a good sign,” O’Brien said. “It is nice to see someone different each night step up.”%^$
%^$Fribourg, a European A Division team, was without its four top players, all of which were competing for the Swiss National Team at the European Championships.%^$
%^$”We started the game a little sluggish,” O’Brien said. “We were obviously the better team tonight. It is unfortunate the teams we are playing are without some of their stars because of the European Championships.”%^$
%^$The game with Fribourg was much different than both the previous two contests played by the Buckeyes in Bormio, Italy, and Lugano, Switzerland. The Fribourg team was more guard oriented with less physical play.%^$
%^$Zach Williams, a sophomore forward, said the earlier games helped the Buckeye big men get off to good start against Fribourg.%^$
%^$”This team was a little younger,” Williams, who scored 15 points while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds, said. “The last couple games made this game seem easier. I just wanted to get on the court and play aggressively. When I do that, good things normally happen.”%^$
%^$O’Brien said Williams was the key to the Buckeye guards getting open shots with his play in the paint.%^$
%^$”Zach set the tone tonight,” O’Brien said. “His aggressiveness allowed the guards ample open shots.”%^$
%^$O’Brien said the games so far have tested the Buckeyes because so little is know about the teams Ohio State is playing.%^$
%^$”We have had to make various adjustments on the fly during games,” O’Brien said. “Our guys have done a good job picking things up on the spot. Our experience at the guard position has been a factor in our three wins.”%^$
%^$Darby, who played sparingly in the first game of the tour because of mild motion sickness, said he is feeling more comfortable with his play.%^$
%^$”I felt much better about my shot tonight,” Darby said. “Zach and Will Dudley did a great job of opening things up and setting screens to open the court.”%^$
%^$Seniors Brian Brown (14) and Boban Savovic (11) were the other OSU players in double figures offensively.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes connected on 37-of-79 shots from the field and 8-of-18 shots from 3-point range. Fribourg hit on 24-of-68 shots from the field and 3-of-13 3-point attempts.%^$
%^$Ohio State arrived back in Grindelwald just after 1 a.m. Thursday following the win over Fribourg. The team is scheduled to leave for Bern, Switzerland at 6:30 a.m. to catch a train to Paris. The Buckeyes are scheduled to play Friday and Saturday in Paris before moving on to Amsterdam for games Sunday and Monday.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes return to Columbus next Tuesday.%^$
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%^$Thurs. Aug 30
%^$PARIS – The Ohio state men’s basketball team continued its tour of Europe with a train trip from Bern, Switzerland to Paris Thursday.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes and their traveling party of fans left Grindelwald, Switzerland at 6:30 a.m., just a few hours after returning from the Buckeyes’ third win of the tour over Fribourg Olympic. The group arrived in Paris about 2 p.m.%^$
%^$While most of the players attempted to catch up on rest, the traveling party went out in various directions to catch some of the Paris sights.%^$
%^$After breakfast Friday, a busload of Buckeye supporters and staff departed for a tour of the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre Museum, home of the famous painting of the Mona Lisa and the Venus deMilo sculpture.%^$
%^$The fourth game of the tour is set for 8 p.m. Friday. The Buckeyes finish their stay in Paris with a game Saturday night before departing for Amsterdam for games Sunday and Monday. The Buckeyes return to Columbus Sept. 4.%^$
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%^$Fri. Aug 31
%^$PARIS – Boban Savovic scored a game-high 22 points to lead five Buckeyes in%^$double figures in a 91-75 victory over Beauvais (France) Basketball Club.%^$
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Ohio State, 4-0 while playing a seven-game schedule in Europe, led 47-44 at%^$the half behind Brian Brown’s 13 points.%^$
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Sean Connolly caught fire in the second half, scoring all of his 12 points%^$to help OSU build a 10-point cushion. The Buckeyes maintained the lead for%^$the final 12 minutes of the game.%^$
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Jim O’Brien, OSU head coach, said he was disappointed with the early part of%^$the game with Beauvais.%^$
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“We started out very lethargic,” O’Brien said. “We gave up 44 points in the%^$first half. We challenged our guys to step it up in the second half. We%^$didn’t want to allow more than 35 points in the second half and they only%^$scored 31. We responded defensively.”%^$
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Brent Darby scored 16 points and Brown finished with 15. Center Will Dudley%^$scored 10 points to go with nine rebounds. O’Brien credited the OSU reserves%^$with the win over Beauvais.%^$
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“We hit the offensive glass more in the second half,” O’Brien said.%^$”Connolly and Tim Martin helped make the difference.”%^$
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Martin has hit 13-of-14 shots in the four wins to date. He said the%^$opportunity to get playing time has helped his play.%^$
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“It has been fun playing over here,” Martin said. “We have only 10 guys in%^$uniform so we are all getting a chance to play. Mentally, I know I’ll get a%^$lot of minutes. I’m just trying to take advantage of my opportunities.”%^$
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Junior Ryan Heflin will not dress the remainder of the trip after suffering%^$a minor scratch to his left eye against Fribourg Olympic.%^$
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Ohio State connected on 35-of-85 shots from the field and 5-of-18 from%^$3-point range. Beauvais hit 31-of-66 and 4-of-19 from long range. OSU held%^$the advantage at the free throw line, hitting 16-of-22, while Beauvais hit%^$9-of-14.%^$
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The Buckeyes play the Rueil Basketball Club at 8 p.m. Saturday. Ohio State%^$travels to Amsterdam to play games Sunday and Monday before returning to%^$Columbus Tuesday.%^$
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%^$Sat. Sept 1
%^$Game Against Rueil Basketball Club Cancelled
%^$Squad will conclude European tour with two games in Amsterdam
%^$PARIS – The Ohio State men’s basketball team’s game vs. Rueil Basketball Club was cancelled today. There was a miscommunication between the basketball club and the tour guide organizing the Buckeyes’ European trip and a time to play the game could not be worked out.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes will have the evening free. They and the traveling party will travel to Amsterdam Sunday for the final two games of the tour. Ohio State is 4-0 on its trip.%^$
%^$The squad will return to Columbus Tuesday.%^$
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%^$Sun. Sept 2
%^$Darby’s 31 leads Buckeyes to 111-64 win
%^$Buckeyes to finish European Tour Monday
%^$AMSTERDAM-Brent Darby scored 31 points and connected on 9-of-10 shots from the field and 10-of-11 free throws to lead Ohio State to a 111-64 win over Den Haag Cobras Sunday.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes shook off another long day of travel to improve to 5-0 on the trip, which will conclude with the final game of the European tour Monday in Amsterdam.%^$
%^$Darby, a junior point guard, led five Buckeyes in double figures after the team spent most of the day traveling from Paris to Den Haag by train and then taking a short bus ride to the game directly from the bus station.%^$
%^$It did not take long for Ohio State to build a comfortable lead over the Cobras, a Division “B” professional basketball club.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes connected on 17-of-25 shots in the first half and on 17-of-18 foul shots to build a 54-32 lead after the first two, 10-minute quarters.%^$
%^$Senior Boban Savovic scored 18 points followed by senior Brian Brown’s 16, sophomore Zach Williams’ 15 and junior Sean Connolly’s 10 points. Williams recorded the first double-double of the trip with 10 rebounds.%^$
%^$For the game, the Buckeyes scored on 40-of 67 (.597) shots from the field, 9-of-15 (.600) attempts from 3-point range and on 22-of-26 (.846) free throws.%^$
%^$Jim O’Brien, Ohio State head coach, said the team has repeatedly played well following the extensive travel.%^$
%^$”The thing that continues to amaze me is the players’ ability to perform after these long trips,” O’Brien said. “We played really hard defensively. We challenged the guys to play better on defense. I think we responded.%^$
%^$”We assisted (22) on over half of our made baskets. We played unselfish basketball and have been making the extra pass to find the open shooter.”%^$
%^$Darby said the travel has not affected the team that much.%^$
%^$”The time we have spent traveling has not been much of a problem,” Darby said. “We have been getting our rest. Once we get on the court none of that stuff matters. We just play.”%^$
%^$The Buckeyes were able to get several open shots by pushing the ball up the court and with guard penetration, especially in the first half by Darby, Savovic and Brown.%^$
%^$”I had a chance to get to the basket and to the free throw line in the first half,” Darby said. “In the second half, my outside shot fell.”%^$
%^$Den Haag made it to the foul line just nine times, making six, in the game. The Cobras connected on 26-of-69 (.377) shots from the field and 6-of-21 (.286) 3-point attempts.%^$
%^$The Ohio State players and traveling party arrived at the hotel in Amsterdam about 6:30 p.m. Sunday following the game. The team had the evening free and will take most of the morning to explore Amsterdam before the tour’s final game Monday evening.%^$
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%^$Mon. Sept 3
%^$Buckeyes answer challenge to finish 6-0 in Europe
%^$Williams records second-consecutive double-double
%^$AMSTERDAM-The Ohio State men’s basketball team will return to Columbus late Tuesday with a 6-0 record after winning the final game of the team’s 16-day tour of Europe.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes faced its best opponent Monday in Almere, The Netherlands against the Omniworld Basketball Club, a Division “A” team in Europe. The game was the most physical of the six games played by the Buckeyes but Ohio State used its experience at the guard position to chisel a 65-57 victory.%^$
%^$Boban Savovic, a senior veteran of international play from Yugoslavia, used his experience with the European style of play to score 16 points against Omniworld to lead the Buckeyes.%^$Sophomore Zach Williams recorded his second-consecutive double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Brent Darby contributed 13 points and seven assists.%^$
%^$Ohio State not only had to overcome one of the better teams in northern Europe but also a small group of Omniworld fans who spent the entire game beating constantly on drums and blowing horns, making it nearly impossible for Jim O’Brien, OSU head coach, to communicate with his players.%^$
%^$”I have never been involved with anything like this in my career in basketball,” O’Brien said. “I can’t imagine why they would allow this to go on.”%^$
%^$Despite the distractions off the court, the Buckeyes built a 35-24 led at the half with defense and quickness.%^$
%^$Attempts to get the Ohio State big men involved were thwarted by elder and more physical Omniworld post players. The Buckeye guards were able to counter the lack of inside scoring by driving the lane for layups.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes connected on 28-of-60 shots from the field while holding Omniworld to just 18-of-57 shooting. Ohio State connected on 4-of-10 3-pointers while Omniworld made 7-of-26 long-range shots.%^$
%^$O’Brien said the 6-0 record was a goal reached by the Buckeyes.%^$
%^$”This was the best team we have played over here,” O’Brien said of the final victory. “It was as physical a game as we have been involved with in quite awhile.%^$
%^$”We are ready to come home,” he said. “This has been a great trip. The basketball has been good and the overall experience has been a positive for our guys. They were able to see and do some things they would normally not have the chance to do. It was a great opportunity for all of us.”%^$
%^$Savovic said the games were especially beneficial to the young Buckeye inside players.%^$”We came here expecting to win all our games and we did,” Savovic said. “This will help us, especially the big guys. We played six physical games, which will help us once the Big Ten season arrives.%^$
%^$”This trip will help with our confidence as well,” he said. “When the season starts we will already be 6-0.”%^$
%^$Note: In addition to the nearly 80 people traveling along with the Buckeyes in Europe, Ohio State had another small cheering section in the stands against Omniworld. Lynn Fogwell, who earned a graduate degree from Ohio State in industrial and systems technology in 1985, drove his family from Antwerp, Belgium to Almere, The Netherlands, to watch the Buckeyes. The trip and time spent looking for the arena took about four hours.%^$
%^$The Fogwell’s were rewarded for their effort with autographs and several Ohio State pins the team had for gift-exchanges with the opponents.%^$
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Ohio State European Tour Results%^$
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