Second-year guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (1) throws down a slam dunk during the second-half of the Ohio State-Merrimack game Wednesday. Ohio State won 76-52 at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH.
Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
On the back of a 20-point, 5-rebound and 3-assist night from sophomore guard Roddy Gayle Jr., Ohio State cruised by Merrimack 76-52 in a win Wednesday night at Value City Arena.
The Buckeyes (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) never trailed in an affair where they dominated both inside and out. A scoring explosion in the final 10 minutes of the second half helped guide Ohio State to its victory.
The Warriors (2-2, 0-0 NEC) simply couldn’t keep up, never holding a single lead in the game. A high-effort performance inside the box fueled Ohio State, and a tough defense gave Merrimack problems, as it scored just 18 points in the paint throughout the contest.
Gayle opened the game for the Buckeyes with back-to-back triples, giving Ohio State a 6-0 lead to begin the first half.
“I think we have a personnel where anybody can be the night’s scoring leader,” Gayle said. “I don’t have to be the guy every night, but I think I do a great job of making plays, whether that’s scoring or facilitating for my teammates.”
Ohio State imposed its will on Merrimack early, drawing 14 fouls on its way to 20 first-half free throw attempts, converting 15 of them.
The Buckeyes shot just 32.1 percent from the field in the first half but retained a 35-29 lead going into the break despite Merrimack shooting 46.2 percent inside the perimeter.
After the break, the teams continued to trade baskets, exchanging small runs throughout the first part of the second half.
Up until 10 minutes remained in the second half, Merrimack was able to keep it close. Two free throws by graduate forward Samba Diallo cut Ohio State’s lead to six with nine minutes remaining,
Three straight made 3-pointers in a barrage from fifth-year forward Jamison Battle and sophomore guard Bruce Thornton helped push the Buckeyes lead to 65-43.
Junior guard Devon Savage led the way for the Warriors, finishing with 20 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals on 7-13 shooting from the field in 35 minutes of action.
Ohio State finished the game on a 27-9 run, holding Merrimack to 33.3 percent shooting from the field and just 23 second-half points.
“In the second half we changed our attack to utilize more ball screens,” head coach Chris Holtmann said. “I think we played well, but more than anything, when you have a lead of 12 or 13, your basket seems a little more open.”
Sophomore guard Bowen Hardman, freshman center Austin Parks and redshirt-sophomore forward Kalen Etzler all saw their first minutes of action this year for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State hopes to make it two straight wins as it faces Western Michigan at Value City Arena Sunday at 4 p.m., in the opening round of the Emerald Coast Classic. Big Ten Network will broadcast.
