OHIO STATE TURNS UP DEFENSE TO ROUT WILLIAM & MARY, 97-62
COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann sat his leading scorer less than five minutes into the game. It was a message that the Buckeyes had to play better defensively.
Keita Bates-Diop returned to the game two minutes later and went on to score a career-high 27 points to lead Ohio State to a 97-62 blowout victory against William & Mary on Saturday.
“I just wanted to see him improve his effort a little bit,” Holtmann said. “I was ready to put him back in the game. I just wanted to see a little bit more stuff for him.”
Bates-Diop shot 11 of 16 from the field and scored all his points after his brief moment on the bench.
“I think it kind of just helped because it reset my mind,” Bates-Diop said.
David Cohn and Nathan Knight led the Tribe (6-3) with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Freshman Kaleb Wesson scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and C.J. Jackson added 16 with six assists for the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes (8-3) shot 65 percent from the field and made 11 of 21 3-point shots while totaling a season-high 19 assists. Ohio State made 10 straight shots early in the second half and went on a 16-0 run to lead by 40 with four minutes remaining.
William & Mary entered the game eighth in adjusted offensive efficiency and third in team 3-point makes per game. The Tribe shot 5 of 16 from 3 on Saturday.
“I thought they were terrific defensively,” head coach Tony Shaver said. “I thought they prepared well for us and defensively, just really, really impressed. To beat a team like that, we have to rebound the ball and we couldn’t hold our own inside, and we have to shoot it well. And we didn’t do either one of those two, really.”
Knight entered the game averaging 20.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. With the Tribe trailing 28-22, Knight caught a pass off a pick-androll and attacked the basket, but Ohio State forward Musa Jallow drew a charge. The next possession, Knight fouled Bates-Diop and went to the bench for the final 7:49 of the half with three fouls.
Etc.: Ohio State forward Kyle Young sat out with a sprained ankle. Holtmann said he will probably be available for the Buckeyes’ next game next Saturday.