Buckeyes Win 7th Consecutive Game, Top Miami 84-64

Wednesday, December 6

Columbus, Ohio

7:00 p.m.

Ohio State

8-1,1-0Big Ten

Miami (Ohio)

4-4,0-0MAC

Miami (OH)

Ohio St.

Buckeyes Win 7th Consecutive Game, Top Miami 84-64

12/6/2023 10:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Ohio State Men's Basketball vs. Miami (Ohio) 12-6-23

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Roddy Gayle Jr. led six Buckeyes in double figures as Ohio State won its seven-consecutive game, beating Miami (Ohio) 84-64 on Wednesday evening.

The Buckeyes improve to 8-1 on the season and 3-0 against MAC teams this season.

In addition to Gayle Jr.'s 15 points, Bruce Thornton added 14 points, two assists and two steals. Jamison Battle had 13 points, including 11 in the second half.

Junior Zed Key provided 13 points off the bench to go along with 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. He also dished-out a career-high four assists. Evan Mahaffey's 10 points are a season-high for the transfer from Penn State. He also added two steals and a block.

The game started with both teams trading buckets until a steal and slam by Gayle Jr. ignited the Buckeyes on a 13-4 run, led by Key with six early points, to set a 25-17 lead by the midway mark of the half.

Both teams would go cold from the field for over three minutes in the middle of the half, but Ohio State was able to extend their run from the foul line to 20-6 and build a 32-19 lead with just under five minutes to go. Thornton hit huge threes to extend the lead as Mahaffey provided a defensive spark off the bench, getting a steal and block in back-to-back possessions. The Buckeyes would hold a 39-26 halftime advantage.

Both teams started the half like the first as they traded buckets until 6-0 OSU run gave the Buckeyes a 48-35 lead. A Key alley-oop slam and a Battle three would keep the Buckeyes ahead through the middle of the half as tensions rose between the teams.

A three-pointer by Dale Bonner and transition dunk for Key would extend the lead to 73-47 by the final five minutes of the game. Ohio State had five players in double-figure scoring by this point in the game.

Battle's 11 second half points would lead the buckeyes to an 84-64 victory. Ohio State finished the game with 40 rebounds with 18 offensive boards as well as 16 assists to Miami's nine.

Ohio State will jump back into Big Ten play this weekend as the Buckeyes will head to Penn State for a 6 p.m. tip on Saturday evening.

With the win, Ohio State has now won 30 consecutive games against unranked non-conference opponents. That is the longest active streak in the Big Ten.
Bruce Thornton has scored in double-figures in eight of the nine games this season as he finished with 14 points.
Zed Key posted his second double-double of the season and the 10^th of his career. He finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, including a career-high tying seven offensive rebounds. He also dished-out a career-high four assists.
The six players in double-figures was a season-high for the Buckeyes.
Felix Okpara blocked one shot and has now blocked a shot in 16 consecutive games. Just Ken Johnson, Greg Oden and Dallas Lauderdale have had longer streaks since 2000.
Dale Bonner tied a season-high with three three-point field goals.
Evan Mahaffey finished with a season-high 10 points. He also had a pair of steals and has now had at leads one steal in seven of the nine games. Mahaffey hit his first three-pointer of the season and his first since Feb. 1 of last season.
The Buckeyes dished-out 16 assists and now has had 15 or more assists five times this season.