Buckeyes’ Oden Too Much For Coppin State – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2006
Box Score | Quotes | Notes
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Greg Oden had his best collegiate game with 18 points and 16 rebounds and fellow freshman Daequan Cook led No. 6 Ohio State with a career-high 23 points in a 91-54 victory over Coppin State on Saturday night.
Oden was 7-of-8 from the field – most of his baskets came on dunks – and was just 4-of-10 on free throws while continuing to shoot left-handed at the line. He is still recovering from surgery in June to repair ligament damage in his right wrist.
The 18 points matched his best total in his five previous games, while he easily exceeded the 11 rebounds he had against Cincinnati.
Cook, the Buckeyes’ leading scorer with a 15.3-point average despite never starting a game, eclipsed the 22 points he had against Eastern Kentucky.
Othello Hunter added 16 points for the Buckeyes, while Jamar Butler broke out of a shooting slump with 15, matching his career high with five 3-pointers before fouling out for the first time in his career. David Lighty had 10 points.
The Buckeyes (11-2) were playing their first game since an 86-60 loss at defending national champion Florida last Saturday. They open Big Ten play on Tuesday against Indiana.
Tywain McKee scored 21 points for the Eagles (2-11), who were playing their third ranked opponent this week. The Eagles lost to No. 10 Alabama 99-49 last Saturday and to No. 12 Connecticut 84-41 on Wednesday.
Coppin State fell to 1-35 against ranked opponents – the only win against South Carolina in the first round of the 1997 NCAA tournament.
The opening tip was delayed several minutes because of problems with the shot clock. Two of the bigger scoreboards went down early in the second half.
Also, a Columbus television station showed excerpts from the memorial service for former President Gerald R. Ford rather than the first few minutes of the game. The station received dozens of angry calls from Buckeyes fans before it switched to the game.
After the Eagles scored the first points on a 3-pointer by Antwan Harrison, the Buckeyes ran off 12 straight points – half of them on 3s by Butler.
Ahead 21-10 midway through the first half, Ohio State went on a 9-0 run, with Cook hitting two shots behind the arc to key that surge.
The 7-foot Oden was called for goaltending on a 3-point attempt late in the half. He had as many rebounds as the entire Coppin State team (11) midway through the second half.
The Buckeyes led 46-30 at halftime, with Cook leading the way with 13 points. Butler scored 12 points – more than he had scored in each of his last nine games.
Ohio State’s lead never fell below 18 points in the second half and it led by as many as 40.
