Men's Basketball
Three Points and a Cloud of Dust: Buckeyes Give Big Ten First Challenge Win
By Brandon CastelCOLUMBUS, Ohio – There was no post-game trophy presentation Wednesday night at Value City Arena. No championship banner or confetti falling from the rafters either, much to Evan Turner’s dismay.
Even Turner didn’t follow through on his facetious vow to cut down the nets if Ohio State (7-1) was able to pull out a victory for themselves and the conference in their Big Ten/ACC Challenge finale against No. 21 Florida State (6-2), but not because he wasn’t thrilled about the clinching 77-64 win.
Evan Turner gets to the hoop for two of his game-high 25 points.
Photo by Jim Davidson“I didn’t want to keep you guys waiting,” a smiling Turner said with his tongue in cheek after helping the Big Ten to its first ever win over the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 11-year history of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Wisconsin did their part to get things back to even at five wins apiece by holding off a Duke team that was previously undefeated at 10-0 in the challenge, but it was up to Turner and the hot three-point shooting of Jon Diebler and Jeremie Simmons to finish off the Seminoles for a 6-5 Big Ten victory over the ACC.
“That was the championship right there, so that was huge,” said Turner, who paced all players with 25 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
While it was technically a meaningless championship for the Buckeyes, it was certainly a big win for a team looking to continue its momentum coming off a 106-45 win over St. Francis as they build towards the start of Big Ten play on New Year’s Eve.
“It’s a unique situation for early in the year and I’m proud of our guys. It’s now December 2nd and we’ve played three of the top 25 teams in the country and I think that’s been good for us,” OSU Head Coach Thad Matta said of his team that split a pair of games against ranked opponents (North Carolina and Cal) last month in New York City.
Jon Diebler eyes the hoop from long range.
Photo by Jim DavidsonWhile Turner certainly took over the game in the second half, it was Diebler who carried the Buckeyes in the first half when nothing seemed to be going for the rest of his teammates. After Turner got things started with a layup on Ohio State’s first possession, Diebler knocked down a pair of three-point shots in the first six minutes as the Buckeyes got out to a 12-2 lead at the 14:06 mark of the first half.
“Jon came out and hit some daggers and they really had to stay on him,” Turner said of his hot-shooting classmate.
But Diebler was quick to point the praise in the direction of Turner and David Lighty, who continually attacked the paint despite the presence of 7-foot-1 shot-blocker Solomon Alabi. Alabi came in averaging three blocks per game but did not have a single one against the Buckeyes.
“I think guys like Evan and Dave getting into the paint and sucking in the defenders, because a lot of the shots Jeremie (Simmons) and I hit, we were wide open,” said Diebler, who knocked down five threes in the first half and a total of six in the game.
“When you’ve got guys who can create like Evan and Dave it really helps a lot and when we’re hitting outside shots we’re very dangerous.”
With Diebler and Turner accounting for 25 of their 31 points, the Buckeyes took an 11-point lead into the locker rooms at halftime. The two juniors went 9-for-18 in the first half, but the rest of their teammates were just 2-for-16 from the floor, including a 1-for-11 effort from the struggling William Buford.
After watching him hit five of his eight three-point attempts in the first half, the Seminoles came out determined to take away Diebler in the second half. It worked, as Diebler went just 1-of-4 from behind the arc in the half, but the ‘Noles didn’t count on Simmons lighting them up for 14 points off the bench on 4-of-6 shooting in the second half.
“I thought Jeremie did a tremendous job,” Matta said of the former Junior College transfer.
“He banged some shots down. They decided to try to handcuff Jon there to start the second half, which I thought opened Jeremie up and also allowed Evan to get inside and make some plays.”
And make plays he did, as he recorded his sixth double-double in seven games for the Buckeyes this season as OSU pulled away down the stretch for a 13-point victory in a game where they never trailed.
“We know we beat a good team. They’re going to do well in the ACC,” Diebler said.
Next up for Turner and the Buckeyes is a date with Eastern Michigan this Saturday (Noon ET, ESPNU) before they travel to Butler for another big non-conference game on the 12 th of December.
Game Notes:
- The 2009 Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup of Ohio State and Florida State was the fourth all-time meeting between the two teams. The Buckeyes are now 4-0 vs. the Seminoles.
-The Buckeyes are participating in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the eighth-consecutive year and are now 3-5 in the event.
- The Buckeye win claims the Big Ten a 6-5 record vs. the ACC in the event this year. It is the first time the Big Ten has won the event in its 11-year history.
- For the game Ohio State shot 43.1 percent (25-of-58) from the field and 42.9 percent (12-of-28) from the three-point line.
- Ohio State led 31-20 at the half. Matta is 111-15 when leading at halftime as head coach for the Buckeyes.
- Diebler has made at least one 3-pointer in the last 10 games as a sophomore last year and the first seven games this season. The last time Diebler went scoreless from behind the arc was Feb. 14, 2009, in a 0-of-3 effort against Wisconsin.
- Junior guard/forward Evan Turner scored a team-high 25 points and 13 rebounds with six assists against Florida State. Turner now has six double-doubles in seven games this season for the Buckeyes.
- The Seminoles were 0-for-5 from behind the arc in the first half and just 2-for-16 in the game.
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