It was a cold night outside in Columbus on Wednesday night, but Jon Diebler had the hot hand on the court inside the Schott as Ohio State blew out the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 83-55 to move to 9-0 on the season. Diebler tied the Ohio State record for three-pointers in a game, knocking down nine trey’s on the game en route to a 29-point night. The attendance for the game was somewhat sparse given the cold and the end of the academic quarter on campus, but Diebler’s exploits brought the fans alive and added some excitement to the evening.
The start to the game was fast but sloppy. OSU jumped out with a quick seven points, but neither team was shooting very well. OSU repeatedly got second chances on offensive rebounds but failed to capitalize in the early-going. Fortunately, it was evident from the first few minutes that the Buckeyes’ size and athleticism was going to be overwhelming for the Eagles.
Aaron Craft knocked down a three with just over 13 minutes to go in the first half to get Ohio State rolling, and the Buckeyes started to put the clamps down on defense as well, forcing numerous turnovers. Craft followed his three with a put-back layup, and on the next trip down the floor Jon Diebler made his first three-ball of the game. Shortly after he knocked down his second, and suddenly the Buckeyes had opened up an 18-3 margin.
The freshmen off the bench got into the game early for Ohio State, with Craft, Sibert, and Thomas all seeing action before the 10-minute mark of the first half. Lenzelle Smith also got in before the half was over, and the Buckeyes continued to extend their lead. The story of the first half was the turnovers on the side of FGCU, and the shooting of Jon Dielber, who knocked down his third, fourth, and fifth three-balls to bring him to 15 on the game as the Buckeyes took a 42-16 lead into the half.
As the second half began, Diebler picked up right where he left off, hitting his sixth three of the contest. The starters for the Buckeyes stayed in until around the 10:00 mark of the second with minimal subbing, but then the reserves again saw the floor starting to come down the stretch. The Eagles started knocking down some shots, but it was never enough to significantly cut into the Ohio State lead. Despite the lop-sided nature of the game, it was great to see the Buckeyes still hustling on the floor, diving for loose balls and playing pressure defense. For the first 12 minutes of the second, FGCU actually outscored the Buckeyes, but the difference was covered when Aaron Craft knocked down a three of his own. Aside from Diebler, Craft in particular put together a nice game end-to-end, notching 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists to go along with some strong defensive play.
Before the game was over Diebler made his seventh, eighth, and ninth three’s, and his 29 total points on the game easily led all scorers. William Buford added 17 points and Jared Sullinger had 9 for the Buckeyes. Buford’s total put him over 1,000 points in his Ohio State career, serving as another nice landmark to hightlight the evening. Freshman Chase Fieler led FGC with 12 points on an overall poor shooting night for the Eagles, who as a team shot under 40% on field goals for the majority of the game and finished with 23 turnovers.
The Buckeyes next opponent should present a more significant challenge, as the South Carolina Gamecocks travel to Columbus on Saturday. The game will tip-off at 2:00 and be featured on CBS.
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