Ohio State
1-0,0-0Big Ten
#19 Texas
0-1,0-0SEC
Buckeyes Lead Wire-to-Wire in 80-72 Season-Opening Win over No. 19 Texas
11/5/2024 1:47:00 AM | Men's Basketball
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Ohio State jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back in an impressive 80-72 season-opening victory over No. 19 Texas in the Hall of Fame Series event in Las Vegas.
Junior guard Bruce Thornton led the way with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. Micah Parrish added 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Devin Royal finished with 16 points and three rebounds.
Freshman John Mobley Jr. had quite the debut, knocking down all four of his three-point attempts and finished with 14 points. Evan Mahaffey made his lone shot attempt and led the team with eight rebounds.
Ohio State was 14-of-28 from long range and shot 45 percent overall on the night.
The Buckeyes were hot right out of the gate, making six of their first nine three-pointers and led 21-13 early. After a 12-0 run, the lead grew to as much as 15 at 33-18 and the Buckeyes would lead 38-31 at the break.
The lead went back to 11 early in the second half but a Texas run cut the deficit down to three on a couple of occasions with eight minutes to play. Royal had a pair of jumpers and Parrish hit a big three-pointer to stem the run and keep the Buckeyes in front.
This was just the third time in 126 seasons that Ohio State has opened the season against a ranked team and the first time they came away with a victory.
Up Next
The Buckeyes return to Columbus and will host Youngstown State in the home-opener next Monday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on BTN.
