Ohio State junior guard Jr. (4) takes a free-throw shot during the Ohio State-Illinois State game on Nov. 25. Ohio State won 94-67. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
In what was a subpar shooting performance, the Buckeyes took advantage of the free throw disparity.
No. 23 Ohio State (2-0) made 26 of its 33 free throw attempts, which made a key difference in its 74-64 win over UMass-Lowell (1-2). Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said that attacking the paint and creating contact need to remain factors in the Buckeye offense going forward.
“I thought it was great to see, we had a lot of guys that got there,” Holtmann said Sunday. “I think that has to be consistent for us.”
The Buckeyes had 19 more free throw attempts than the River Hawks — who only shot 14 in Sunday’s game. Senior guard Obadiah Noel was the only UMass-Lowell player to finish the game with more than two attempted free throws; Ohio State had five players reach that mark.
Due to significant shooting struggles from beyond the arc, Ohio State needed the abundance of free throw attempts to lift them over the River Hawks. The Buckeyes shot just 4-of-18 from three as they struggled to buy a basket against UMass-Lowell’s zone defense.
Redshirt senior guard CJ Walker led the Buckeyes’ free throw barrage, making nine of his 10 attempted shots from the charity stripe and a team-high seven fouls drawn.
Walker shot just 2-for-7 from the field, but he said he isn’t worried about his and his team’s ability to find success when the shots aren’t falling.
“It’s basketball, it happens where you don’t make shots. You just gotta find a way to win and I figure that we did that,” Walker said.
A pair of free throws also played a key factor in swinging the momentum of the game down the stretch.
With 9:35 to go in the game, Ohio State redshirt junior forward Justice Sueing was fouled on a made layup by redshirt sophomore guard Bryce Daley. Daley would then go on to be assessed a technical foul due to arguing, giving Sueing a four-point play opportunity — which he took advantage of by hitting both free throws.
“It certainly turned the momentum, at least temporarily,” UMass-Lowell head coach Pat Duquette said Sunday. “That was a big swing. I thought we were in control there and then they gained control.”
Sueing finished the game with nine free throw attempts — the second-highest mark on the Buckeyes — cashing in on six of them. The Hawaii native finished the game with 15 points.
Ohio State’s leading scorer and junior guard Duane Washington Jr. also found the foul line a few times in the game’s opening half. Washington went 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, contributing to his 21-point outing.
Like the rest of his team, Washington struggled from beyond the arc, making just three of his 11 3-point attempts. Despite the poor outing from deep, Washington said his confidence never wavered in Sunday’s game.
“I got some good looks during the game and unfortunately they didn’t go down, but the saying is ‘shooters shoot’ and you still gotta be confident in yourself,” Washington said.
As the Buckeyes head into December, their schedule will get increasingly difficult with multiple contests against Big Ten opponents and Atlantic Coastal Conference teams — Notre Dame and North Carolina — in the month.
With the season picking up steam, Holtmann emphasized the need for the Buckeyes to continue to be aggressive and find free throw opportunities.
“We’ve got good shooters, we’ll make shots. I do think we have to be intentional about attacking the paint,” Holtmann said. “We didn’t always convert on as many free throws as we’d like, but it was good to see us get to the line.”
