![""](https://www.thelantern.com/files/2020/11/IMG_3493-1.jpg)
Senior forward Kyle Young converts a dunk against Illinois State Nov. 25 Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes may have waited over eight months to take the floor again, but they wasted no time to jump ahead.
Fueled by a 22-0 run to open the contest, No. 23 Ohio State cruised to a 94-67 victory over Illinois State. The Buckeye defense would hold the Redbirds to 39 percent shooting on the day.
Sophomore forward E.J. Liddell would score the games first five points just over a minute into the game, and it would take the Redbirds nearly nine minutes to score five points of their own.
“I just felt we were sharing the ball very well,” Liddell said Wednesday. “It’s been a long time since I played against other competition. We’ve been practicing against each other for such a long time. I felt like we blitzed them and played together.”
Liddell would finish the contest with 16 points and three rebounds. He averaged 6.7 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per contest as a freshman.
Redshirt junior transfer Justice Sueing shined in his Buckeye debut, jumping out to a hot start and scoring 12 first-half points on a flawless 5-for-5 from the field. Sueing finished the game with a team-high 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting.
The Buckeyes would play a total of 13 players — five of which never stepped on the court a year ago — throughout the game.
“Grateful and excited for the fact that we got to play a number of guys,” Holtmann said Wednesday. “That was good to see because we really do need to see what we’re capable of and what some of our guys are capable of, and more than anything, we need film to be able to come back and make corrections.”
The rebounding battle would go in favor of Ohio State, who held the advantage 43-33. Sueing and senior forward Kyle Young led the team with eight rebounds each.
Even with the loss of former center Kaleb Wesson to the professional ranks, Ohio State was able to dominate scoring in the paint — outscoring the Redbirds 50-14 inside.
The presence in the paint also helped Ohio State visit the free throw more than Illinois State. The Buckeyes would finish the game hitting on 26-of-36 free throws.
Although they found success close to the hoop, the Buckeyes struggled to dial in the accuracy from range — hitting on only 33.3 percent of their 3-point shots.
Junior guard Duane Washington Jr. would lead the way with five shots from deep, and he would only connect on two of the looks. Washington struggled to find the bottom of the net throughout the game, scoring 12 points on 33.3-percent shooting.
Joining Washington in the backcourt was senior guard CJ Walker, who led the game with six assists. He would also tally 10 points and two rebounds.
“I thought Duane got better, a little bit better as the game went on, but I thought he was pretty locked in defensively,” Holtmann said. “CJ, I thought, was steady as always, led our group in our preparation.”
The Redbirds would be led by sophomore guard Antonio Reeves, who finished with 17 points.
Ohio State will return to the court Sunday at noon when the Buckeyes take on Massachusetts-Lowell.
This story was updated at 5:32 with quotes from Chris Holtmann, CJ Walker and E.J. Liddell.