Postgame Notes From No. 21 Ohio State vs. LSU – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 31, 2005
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Value City Arena (16,136) No. 21 Ohio State (10-0) remains oneof nine teams nationally with unblemished records. Illinois leadsthe way with a 14-0 record followed by Florida (12-0), Duke (11-0),Connecticut (11-0), Washington (11-0), Pittsburgh (10-0), TexasA&M (9-0) and Villanova (8-0). The Buckeye defense held LSUscoreless for the last 3:22 of the game to come back from a10-point deficit for the win. Ohio State trailed by 15 with sixminutes left in the game, but OSU outscored LSU 20-3 in the final5:36 of the game. Over the stretch, Je’Kel Foster had seven points,on four free throws and a 3-pointer and Matt Sylvester made 23-pointers. Jamar Butler made both a jump-shot and a 3-pointer inthe final 4:19 of the game. The Buckeyes led just three times inthe game, with a two-point lead 20 seconds into the contest, a20-19 edge with 9:58 left in the first half and then on Sylvester’s3-pointer with six seconds remaining. Ohio State is 8-0 innon-conference home games this season. The Buckeyes have won sevenor more home non-Big Ten games in 7 of 8 seasons since Value CityArena opened for the 1998-99 campaign. Head coach Thad Matta is15-0 vs. non-conference foes in Value City Arena while coaching theBuckeyes the last two seasons. Overall, Ohio State is 59-6 vs.non-Big Ten teams at VCA since it opened in 1998. Matta is 21-3overall in all games vs. non-conference opponents. Ohio State is28-25 against members of the Southeastern Conference all-time and1-1 vs. LSU. With 24 points, Terence Dials moved to the No. 25 spotall time in career scoring with 1,225 career points. He passed LukeWitte (1971-73), who completed his tenure with 1,211 career pointsand John Havlicek (1960-62) who had 1,223 points as a Buckeye.Terence Dials has scored 20 or more points 17 times in his careerand has done so in back-to-back games after a 23-point effort vs.Gardner-Webb (Dec. 28). Dials’ 24 points vs. LSU tied his seasonbest, first set vs. Butler (Nov. 22). With eight rebounds, Dialsmoved closer to the 700 club in career rebounds at Ohio State. Heis currently No. 12 all-time in career rebounds (690). No. 11 GaryBradds (1962-64) is up next with 706. With the win, the Buckeyesmove to 313-100 when played as a ranked team in the AP Poll,including an 11-1 mark against non-conference teams in Value CityArena. Junior Ron Lewis reached 1,000 career points with 14 vs.LSU. He had 877 in two seasons at Bowling Green. Lewis scored 14points to give him double figures in 10 of 11 games this season.Lewis had a Buckeye season-high nine made free throws in the winover the Tigers, hitting 9-of-10 shots for a Buckeye season-best.900 free throw single-game percentage. The Buckeyes are 19-1 whenJe’Kel Foster, a senior guard, scores 10 or more points (12 vs.LSU). Foster has reached double figures in scoring in 9 of 10 gamesthis season and in the last seven consecutive games. He scored 10or more in 11 games as a junior. Ohio State is 12-2 when Butler iscredited with four or more assists in a game. Foster, the Big Tenleader in steals per game entering the contest (2.56) had foursteals in the game. He has 10 steals in the last two gamescombined. Jamar Butler had five assists vs. the Tigers and hasdished out four or more in each of the last six games (35 total).Ohio State is 10-0 for the first time since the 1990-91 season whenthat squad started the year 17-0. Ohio State has been 10-0 on justfour occasions all-time. Matt Sylvester hit the game-winning3-pointer with six seconds remaining. It was his second career gamewinner, as he hit the winning 3-point shot with five seconds leftto beat No. 1 Illinois last year. Sylvester had a season-best 14points vs. the Tigers. He tied his career best with three fieldgoals, last set at Penn State Feb. 12, 2005. His previous high thisseason was eight points at St. Joe’s. Ohio State hit 21-of-24 freethrows in the game for a season-high 87.5 percent success rate. TheBuckeyes trailed the Tigers at halftime, 43-39. OSU is 2-0 whentrailing at the half this season. The team came back from a 39-22halftime deficit at Iowa State Dec. 17 for a 70-67 win. Ohio Statenow is 15-4 on Dec. 31 all-time and has won its last three games onthis date. The attendance of 16,136 was a season high for theBuckeyes in Value City Arena. Ohio State opens Big Ten play Jan. 5vs. Penn State (8 p.m./ESPN Plus/WBNS 10 TV) at Value City Arena.The Buckeyes begin year No. 94 as a member of the Big TenConference.
