Ohio State (1-0) used its fast-paced offense and an efficient shooting performance to reach triple digits in its season-opening 118-102 win over IU Indy (0-1) at Value City Arena on Monday.
The Buckeyes’ 118 points were a program record in a season opener, topping a 111 point performance against Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 5, 1991.
It was the first time Ohio State gave up 100 or more points in regulation since Feb.. 7, 1998, when the Boilermakers scored 107.
“Defensively we still have to work on some stuff. They scored over 100 points. That can’t happen,” Tilly said after the game.
Three Buckeyes went over 20 points in the game, with senior center Christoph Tilly leading the way with 28 points.
Ohio State was 7 of 7 to start the game, jumping out to a 19-8 lead at 16:21 on Devin Royal’s second three-point basket of the game. Thornton also added two threes of his own, with John Mobley Jr. also knocking one down from beyond the arc.
It was Mobley who missed the first two shots for the Buckeyes, but he soon got the offense going again, finding sophomore forward Colin White on a fast break for an easy layup before Mobley found White again the next time down the court. White then lobbedthe ball to freshman forward Amare Bynum to show off the dunking ability his teammates raved about before the season, giving OSU a 26-17 lead.
IU Indy brought the game within two points, 28-26, with a 9-2 run, capped off by a made jumper from Finley Woodward.
OSU went 3:44 without a field goal, but maintained a 34-32 lead with six points from free throws. Royal ended that cold streak with an and-one jumper at 8:15, converting the free throw.
That was part of a 13-0 run that included six forced turnovers for the Buckeyes on seven Jaguar possessions and the 7-0 Tilly knocking down his first three of the season from the top of the key. The run put OSU up 46-32 at 6:14 before Jaxon Edwards hit a free throw to stop the bleeding temporarily.
The two teams went back and forth for the rest of the first half, moving with the same fast pace they kept throughout the first 20 minutes. The Buckeyes went into the locker room up 66-50. Royal led the way with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 7 of 9 from the free-throw line. The Jaguars fouled 16 times in the half and the Buckeyes were 16 of 22 from the line.
Tilly started the scoring in the second half with a three-point play, and he scored seven of the first 11 Buckeye points in the frame, which had OSU out to a 77-58 lead at 16:27.
Ohio State struggled to extend its lead over the next few minutes, with a Taison Chatman three-pointer bringing it back to 16 points, 85-69. But Chatman’s three was the beginning of a 9-0 run, capped off by two Tilly makes from the foul line.
The Jaguars managed a 10-2 run of their own immediately following OSU’s run, with Kameron Tinsley knocking down two from deep during the 46-second stretch.
The Buckeyes passed the 100-point threshold with 7:18 remaining on a layup by Tilly which made the score 101-85.
The Jaguars brought the game within 10 points, 103-93 on a three-pointer by JP Dragas at 5:23, the end of a 6-0 mini-run for IU Indy. But the fouling from the Jaguars continued and Ohio State scored five unanswered points from the foul line.
It was Gabe Cupps who took the Buckeyes over the record for points in a season opener, making two free throws to make it 112-97.
Tilly added to his 28 points with nine rebounds and three assists, with Thornton (26) and Royal (22) both eclipsing the 20-point mark. Mobley had 16 points and a team-leading eight assists. Noel led the way with 10 rebounds in the game.
The Buckeyes made 42 free throws as a team, which broke a program record, previously 38, last done in 2013.
