Ohio State senior guard Jimmy Sotos (1) dribbles the ball down the court during the Ohio State-Illinois State game on Nov. 25. Ohio State won 94-67. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
With revenge on the minds of the Scarlet Knights, the Buckeyes used an offensive avalanche to down Rutgers for a second time this season.
Ohio State (9-3, 3-3) utilized a 51.0-percent shooting performance to beat No. 15 Rutgers (7-4, 3-4) in a score of 79-68. The Buckeyes held distinct advantages in hitting five more threes than the Scarlet Knights and winning the rebound battle 43-29.
Despite not having played a game for a week, Ohio State started Saturday’s game in a rhythm. After missing their first two shots of the game, the Buckeyes knocked down seven consecutive shots to hold a 16-11 lead early in the game.
“We knew we needed to come out and be the more aggressive team,” senior forward Kyle Young said Saturday. “It’s something that I wouldn’t say we’ve necessarily been lacking but it’s something we needed to improve on, so just setting the tone, coming out and being the more aggressive team.”
The hot start was in part fueled by senior guard Jimmy Sotos, who filled in for redshirt senior guard CJ Walker in the starting lineup. Sotos buried a pair of 3-pointers less than seven minutes into the game.
The Bucknell transfer finished the game with 6 points on 2-of-6 shooting. Sotos left the game in the final four minutes of the game after injuring himself diving for a loose ball.
“I thought he played really well. I thought he defended well. I thought he created offense with his ability to get in the lane. I thought his decision making was good,” head coach Chris Holtmann said Saturday.
With Walker unavailable, freshman guard Meechie Johnson Jr. saw his first action as a Buckeye.
Johnson, who reclassified to join the Buckeyes a semester early, played four minutes in relief against Rutgers.
A large chunk of the scoring production came from junior guard Duane Washington Jr. and sophomore forward E.J. Liddell. The duo combined for 24 points in the opening half.
Liddell and Washington finished the game with 15 and 17 points respectively.
Although a solid scoring output, Washington turned the ball over four times in the second half.
“I love him. I love coaching him, but he’s going to send me to an early death,” Holtmann said. “He brings joy to playing and he brings a great spirit to playing the game and competing, and I’ve got a lot of confidence in what he can be, but no question he’s taken years off my life.”
Young, who posted a career-high 17 points in the last meeting with Rutgers, added 13 points and 5 rebounds in Saturday’s game.
Redshirt junior forward Justice Sueing scored 12 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 5 assists.
The first half was full of runs, with the Buckeyes answering Rutgers’ 10-0 run with a 13-0 run of their own. The scoring surges would culminate in a 42-30 halftime score with the Buckeyes out in front.
Rutgers junior forward Ron Harper Jr., who entered the game averaging 21.1 points per game, could not replicate the 20-point performance he had against Ohio State Dec. 23.
Instead, Harper finished the game with 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
Junior guard Caleb McConnell provided a lift for the Scarlet Knights in his third game of the season. McConnell provided 9 first-half points.
Late in the game, full-court pressure created problems for Ohio State and Rutgers trimmed the deficit to as few as 8 points.
The win gave Ohio State its first road win in the Big Ten this season and moved its overall road record to 2-3 — not including a neutral site win against UCLA. The Buckeyes are 6-0 at home.
“They understand life in this league, because they’ve been through it — some of them have been through it,” Holtmann said. “Guys have really embraced and bought into getting better.”
Ohio State returns home Wednesday to take on Northwestern. The game is set to tip at 7 p.m.
This story was updated Saturday at 3:07 p.m. with quotes from Kyle Young and Chris Holtmann.
