Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Hot start key to Buckeyes’ win
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Duane Washington Jr. had 14 points and four other players scored in double figures as No. 18 Ohio State started hot and ran over No. 10 Villanova 76-51 on Wednesday night.
Washington opened the game with a pair of 3-pointers to set the tone as the Buckeyes moved to 3-0 with a significant early season victory.
D.J. Carton and Luther Muhammad each had 11 points, and CJ Walker and Kaleb Wesson added 10 apiece.
Jermaine Samuels had 14 points and Cole Swider had 11 for the Wildcats (1-1), who shot poorly out of the gate and managed just 30.6% for the game. They were held to a dozen points in the first 16 minutes.
The Buckeyes came out firing, bolted to a 19-3 lead, led by as many as 27 and held a 40-22 advantage at the intermission of this Gavitt Tipoff Game, a November series that matches up the Big Ten and the Big East.
Villanova was stunned by the Buckeyes’ start and didn’t show signs of life until a 9-0 run late in the first half. Kyle Young started the second half with a dunk and the Buckeyes never backed off the gas, leading by as many as 30.
NO. 4 LOUISVILLE 91, INDIANA STATE 62
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jordan Nwora scored 21 points, Dwayne Sutton added 14 and No. 4 Louisville shot 59% from the field to run past Indiana State 91-62.
Two days after moving up a spot in the AP Top 25, the Cardinals (3-0) made 14 of their first 17 shots for a 16-point lead through 11 minutes on the way to a 4726 advantage at the break. Nwora’s 14 points, including a pair of 3s got Louisville going, and Sutton had 10 before the break.
Nwora, a junior forward, finished 5 of 10 shooting for his third consecutive game of 20 points or more. Sutton and Steven Enoch each grabbed 10 rebounds as Louisville owned the glass 42-21. The Cardinals shot above 50% for the third consecutive game.
Tyreke Key led the Sycamores (0-2) with 20 points including four 3-pointers, two of which came during a 14-2 early second-half run that got them within 51-40. They got no closer as Louisville quickly answered to stretch the lead above 20 as it shot 58% in the final 20 minutes.
NO. 11 TEXAS TECH 103, HOUSTON BAPTIST 74
MIDLAND, Texas — Freshman Jahmi’us Ramsey scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting, TJ Holyfield had 21 points on 9-of-10 field goals and No. 11 Texas Tech beat Houston Baptist 103-74.
The Red Raiders (3-0) had four players score in double figures while shooting 60% overall from the field (40 of 67). Kyler Edwards had 13 points with three 3-pointers, and Davide Moretti scored 12 points and had six assists.
Texas Tech made its first four field goals in the game, but only after having three turnovers while Houston Baptist (0-3) jumped out to a 9-0 lead in just over two minutes. After a timeout, the Red Raiders went ahead to stay by scoring 14 consecutive points. That included the first four field goals, the last Ramsey’s layup tying the game at 9-9 with 16:18 left. Edwards put Tech ahead with a 3-pointer.
Ramsey had 20 of his points by halftime, when Texas Tech led 54-39.
Jalon Gates had 21 points with five 3-pointers to lead Houston Baptist. Ian DuBose added 20 points.
VCU 84, NO. 23 LSU 82
RICHMOND, Va. — Marcus Santos-Silva had 17 points and 11 rebounds and VCU turned 26 turnovers by No. 23 LSU into 37 points in an 84-82 victory.
The Rams (3-0), whose contract with former coach Will Wade mandated he bring his new team to the Siegel Center or have his school pay $250,000, improved to 5-2 against ranked opponents on their home court.
VCU withstood a rally that saw the Tigers take their first lead of the half on two free throws by Skylar Mays with 41 second left.
The Tigers (1-1) had a chance after Santos-Silva made one of two free throws with 4.9 seconds left, but Mays raced up court and lost control of the ball.
De’Riante Jenkins and Marcus Evans added 15 points each for VCU, which was outscored 46-30 in the paint.
Mays led the Tigers with 23 points, but also had seven turnovers. Javinte Smart added 15 points and Trendon Watford scored 11.
The Rams led for most of the game, but a 15-2 run by the Tigers — despite a stretch of five turnovers in six possessions — tied the game at 67-all with 8:56 to go.
The Rams responded with an 11-4 run started by Santos-Silva to lead 78-71 with 3:22 to play before the Tigers rallied again, scoring 11 of the next 14 points and taking their first lead since the early going on a pair of free throws by Mays with 41 seconds remaining.
Jenkins, fouled on a 3-point try, made two of three free throws, and the Tigers missed their final three field-goal tries.