Ohio State
6-3,1-1Big Ten
Rutgers
5-4,0-1Big Ten
Buckeyes Bounce Back, Beat Rutgers 80-66
12/7/2024 4:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Coming off a tough night in Maryland on Wednesday, Ohio State needed a bounce back and the Buckeye got it in the form an 80-66 victory on Saturday against visiting Rutgers.
The Buckeyes even their Big Ten record at 1-1 and are now 6-3 on the season. Rutgers falls to 5-4 and 0-1 in the conference.
Junior point guard Bruce Thornton and sophomore guard Devin Royal each finished with a game-high 22 points. For Royal, this was his second 20-point game of his career and marked a career-high.
Micah Parrish was the third Buckeye in double figures with 12 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists.
Meechie Johnson Jr. finished with just four points, a season-low, but it may have been his best game of the season. He led the team with four assists, including two key assists in the second half, and had zero turnovers. He also pulled down four rebounds and registered a steal.
Big man Austin Parks had his best game of the season as well, finishing with six points, three rebounds and a block.
The Buckeye defense did well to limit Rutgers’ two star freshmen, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, as they combined for just 32 points. The 66 total points were a season-low for the Scarlet Knights.
The first half was back-and-forth early until a 7-0 Buckeye run opened a 31-23 gap. A pair of three-pointers in the final two minutes of the half by Thornton and freshman John Mobley Jr. sent the Buckeyes to the locker room with a 39-31 advantage.
Royal took over in the second half. Slowed in the opening 20 minutes by a couple of fouls, he scored 16 of the first 22 points for the Buckeyes in the second half to keep Rutgers at bay.
Leading 63-56 with under eight minutes to play, Johnson drove the lane and made a great pass to Parrish for a corner three. He then found Parks inside for a big dunk and followed with a lay-in of his own to give the Buckeyes a 70-56 lead with less than four minutes to play. That spurt, keyed by Johnson, put the game away.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will break for final exams this coming week before returning to action next Saturday. They will take on No. 2 Auburn in the Holiday Hoopsgiving Event in Atlanta, Ga. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN2.
