Ohio State’s defense was strong and 11 different Buckeyes scored in a 91-58 win over Western Michigan at Value City Arena on Nov. 20.
The Buckeyes (5-0) forced 16 turnovers in the game — a season high — and held the Broncos (2-4) to just 21-of-62 shooting from the field (33.9 percent).
Ohio State went up 7-2 in the first 2:09 of the game thanks to a dunk by senior forward Brandon Noel. It took the Buckeyes 2:46 to score again, but sophomore guard John Mobley’s layup at 15:05 was the beginning of a quick 6-0 run that led to a Western Michigan timeout.
The Broncos were able to make it a six-point game, 18-12, nearly midway through the first half, but Ohio State’s defense was able to force a shot-clock violation and a miss to allow junior forward Devin Royal to get the lead back to double figures with two free throws at 9:10, which Mobley extended to 25-12 with his second three of the game.
Mobley’s deep ball was part of a 17-0 run that was capped off by a three-pointer from freshman forward Amare Bynum, making the score 35-12.
The run didn’t stop there, however. After the Broncos finally scored, Ohio State held them without a point for another 2:50 before senior guard Jayden Brewer made two free throws.
After continuing their strong defensive start, the Buckeyes took a 49-24 lead into halftime after the Broncos made a buzzer-beating three to finish the frame. They forced Western Michigan to shoot just 26.7 percent from the field, which included just 3 of 12 from three-point range (25.0 percent). Ohio State forced eight turnovers in the half.
Ohio State started the second half efficiently on the offensive side of the ball, making four straight field goals to extend its lead to 59-28 at 17:17 on a Tilly fast-break layup.
After a small scoring drought of 2:05, Mobley put more points on the board for the Buckeyes by converting an and-one on a fast break for a 65-30 lead. OSU extended its lead to 43 points on a three from sophomore guard Gabe Cupps, the last points of an 11-0 run.
The lead stayed around 40 points for the next few minutes as the Buckeyes sent their starters back to the court with 9:15 left in the game. They were also unable to extend the lead, but the game was well in hand by that point.
The Buckeyes cleared the bench at 3:54, even getting walk-on sophomore guard Braylen Nash into the game at 1:18. and Ohio State left with a 33-point victory.
Ohio State was led by Tilly, who had 17 points in the game along with two rebounds and seven assists. Mobley (15), Bynum (12), senior guard Bruce Thornton (11) and Royal (10) also reach double-digit points in the game.
Royal had his first double-double of the season, also adding 10 rebounds on the day. Bynum also had a double-double, the first of his career with 10 boards of his own.
