On the eve The Game”, the basketball Bucks we’re home to face off against the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos. The Roos were definitely underdogs, and came into the game looking for a monumental upset, but were unable to do so as the Buckeyes defended and shot their way to a 91-45 victory.
The Bucks dominated the Kangaroos in every aspect of the game. They shot an astounding 61% from the field while holding UMKC to 25% shooting. From behind the arc Ohio State was a scorching 56% while the Roos were a miserable 1 for 15 on the night. Both teams struggled from the free throw line as the Bucks were 67% and UMKC was 70%.
On a night where DeShaun Thomas was one of 5 Buckeyes in double figures while leading all scorers with 21 points, it was Shannon Scott who stepped up and made a name for himself. Scott scored his first career double-double by scoring 10 points and dishing out 10 assists. Offensively is not the only place where Scott shined as he was one of four Buckeyes to have 2 steals in the game.
The Buckeye defense did not allow a single player from UMKC to score double digits. Estan Tyler and Thomas Staton lead the Roos with 7 points each. Tyler also had two of the 5 assists for UMKC.
Ohio State jumped out early on the Kangaroos and never looked back. They outscored UMKC 22-8 in the first 8 minutes of the game. In that span they were 9/15 from the field. Coming out of the TV timeout, Shannon Scott made his presence known by getting his 4th assist in a span of 5 minutes which included a lob to Amir Williams for one of many highlight dunks on the night.
The Buckeye defense really turned up the heat mid-way through the first half by holding the Roos scoreless for a span of nearly 4 minutes and held a lead of 35 to 14 at the 5 minute mark. The Bucks then closed out the first half on an 18-2 run while scoring 21 points off of Kangaroo turnovers.
The game was all but over at this point, as Thad Matta used the second half to challenge his team and play with a few different lineups. Matta’s goal in the second half was for his team to build off the first twenty minutes of play and to get consistent play for 40 minutes. That’s exactly what the Bucks did in, not only, maintaining their 35 point halftime lead but stretching it to a 46 point final margin.
Not only did Matta get consistency but he played with several different lineups and a couple of new faces got to see some playing time. Amadeo Della Valle was on the court for parts of the first half and most of the second half. Della Valle scored 3 points and had 1 assists and 2 blocks in his court time. Walk on Alex Rogers also saw 4 minutes of play but failed to make the stat line.
This was Ohio State’s final matchup before heading to Cameron Indoor to face Duke on November 28 at 9:30. Both teams will come into that game ranked in the top 25. Ohio State thumped Duke last year in Columbus 85-63. You’ll be able to see that game on ESPN.
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