Ohio State redshirt junior forward Keita Bates-Diop (33) passes the ball in the second half in the game against Michigan State on Jan. 7 in Value City Arena. Ohio State won 80-64. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Photo Editor
No. 22 Ohio State (17-4, 8-0 Big Ten) went on the road to Madison Square Garden to face Minnesota (14-8, 3-5 Big Ten) and came away with a 67-49 win Saturday to remain undefeated in conference play. With the win, Ohio State matched its win total from last season when it went 17-15 overall.
Redshirt junior forward Keita Bates-Diop made some quick shots and a hit a baseline jumper with 1:10 left before the half that earned him his 1,000 career points. He went into halftime with six points, but finished the game with 17 points and 12 rebounds, his eighth double-double of the season despite being 0-for-6 from behind the arc.
The Buckeyes went on a 24-2 run with just less than 10 minutes left in the first half to them up 34-22. The Buckeyes opened the second half with another 6-0 run to put Ohio State up by 13.
Minnesota went on a 9-0 run over a two-minute stretch giving the Gophers a 20-10 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half, but it was all Ohio State after that. Minnesota was outscored 57 to 29 the rest of the game.
Minnesota sophomore guard Amir Coffey returned to this game after missing the last five games with a shoulder injury. He reached his 1,000 career points, finished the game with 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Junior forward Jordan Murphy led the Golden Gophers with 13 points.
Ohio State freshman forward Kaleb Wesson and junior guard CJ Jackson led the Buckeyes in scoring with 11 points heading into halftime. Wesson finished the game with 15 points and eight rebounds while Jackson finished with 11 points.
A key difference in this game came from points off turnovers. The Buckeyes scored 22 points off Minnesota’s 15 turnovers. The Gophers only saw three points off the Buckeyes’ eight turnovers. Ohio State was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line compared to Minnesota’s 10-for-20.
