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Men's Basketball
Ohio State speeds past Gardner-Webb
By By Jeff Svoboda

The Gardner-Webb men’s basketball team goes by the nickname Runnin’ Bulldogs, but Wednesday night, it was Ohio State that ran the upstarts right out of the gym.

No. 21/20 OSU (9-0) dominated in fast break points 18-2 – including a 12-0 mark in the first half to build a 42-25 halftime lead – and as a result ran right by Gardner-Webb (5-4) for an 87-58 victory in front of 13,928 in Value City Arena.

With OSU ahead 9-8 just four-and-a-half minutes into the game, the Buckeyes went on a 24-4 run that was spurred on by eight fast-break points to put the game out of reach. Gardner-Webb would not get within single digits for the rest of the night.

“We struggled to get back and our transition defense was not very good,” Gardner-Webb coach Rick Scruggs said. “Tonight we made mention at halftime how many easy baskets and break points they were getting compared to what we thought they should be getting.”

Six players scored for OSU during the run. The Buckeye guards were quick to turn GWU turnovers into points, and when the Buckeyes did run the half-court offense, senior center Terence Dials scored 10 points during the run.

All in all, it was a disappointing performance for a Gardner-Webb team that beat Minnesota and East Carolina and took North Carolina to the buzzer.

“Probably the first question you all have is how did we beat Minnesota and how did we play Carolina so close?” Scruggs joked to open his press conference. “It’s sort of a tale of two teams. We played great against those guys, and boy I’ll tell you what, Ohio State just took it to us tonight. We just didn’t have an answer for them.”

Dials said the Buckeyes knew the previous performances of Gardner-Webb and wanted to make sure from the start that the Runnin’ Bulldogs would not add another upset to their mantle.

“That was the plan,” Dials said. “The Tennessee State game (a 74-65 win Friday night), we didn’t have the intensity that we showed in previous games, and coach wanted us to come out here with greater intensity and not let an upset happen on our court. We knew we had a quality opponent.”

The list of impressive statistics on Ohio State ’s end was extensive. The Buckeyes shot 49.2 percent from the floor, compared to 36.1 for the Runnin’ Bulldogs, had an 19-5 assist-to-turnover ratio, and forced GWU into 20 turnovers compared to just 10 assists.

OSU coach Thad Matta was pleased with his team’s defense and ability to care for the basketball.

“Those are two trademarks I’d love for people to say about our basketball team,” Matta said.

Individually, numerous Buckeyes had standout performances. Senior guard Je’Kel Foster entered the game shooting 67.1 percent from the field and actually increased that, scoring 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. He also had an OSU season-high with six steals.

“As I told his mother and father the other day, I’d love to clone him,” OSU coach Thad Matta said. “What he’s brought to this program, we could never put a price tag on it.”

Dials led OSU with 23 points on 8-13 shooting and also had nine assists. Junior guard Ron Lewis had 14 points to finish as the third Buckeye in double digits. Guards Jamar Butler and Sylvester Mayes finished with nine points apiece, and all 11 Buckeyes on the roster played.

However, the most impressive plays might have come from sophomore center Matt Terwilliger. He finished with only four points, but produced two jaw-dropping plays late in the game. First, he rejected a shot by GWU forward Sean Helms with authority, only to be whistled for a personal foul. He more than made up for it on OSU’s ensuing offensive possession when he followed a missed lay-up by Mayes and dunked it over three players.

Center Simon Conn led Gardner-Webb with 14 points and 13 rebounds, including an impressive stretch late in the first half during which he scored 10 of 13 GWU points while the team cut a 21-point deficit to a 12.

The Buckeyes return to action New Year’s Eve at 1 p.m. against LSU. Last season, LSU defeated OSU 113-101 in double-overtime in Baton Rouge.

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