Johnson hits game-winning shot for Buckeyes
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Meechie Johnson Jr. made a gamewinning 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left and Ohio State beat No. 21 Seton Hall 79-76 on Monday night in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
Seton Hall guard Jamir Harris stole it and raced for a fast-break layup to tie it at 76 with 15.9 seconds left. Ohio State elected not to call a timeout and Johnson made his team’s 11th 3-pointer — from NBA range.
Seton Hall got it to Tyrese Samuel for a decent look at the buzzer but it bounced hard off the backboard.
E.J. Liddell led Ohio State (4-1) with 28 points, making all 10 of his free throws and shooting 8 of 17 from the floor. Justin Ahrens scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half and Kyle Young had 12 points and eight rebounds. Johnson was 2 of 5 from the field for eight points.
Liddell started a 19-4 run with five straight points as Ohio State built a 38-28 first-half lead. Liddell finished the half with 16 points, matching Seton Hall’s star Jared Rhoden.
Rhoden finished with a career-high 29 points for Seton Hall (3-1), which was coming off a 67-65 win over No. 4 Michigan. Bryce Aiken added 16 points and Ike Obiagu had three blocks.
After calling a timeout with 50 seconds left, trailing 76-74, Seton Hall turned it over for just the eighth time when Rhoden’s foot touched the midcourt line. Liddell had a good look at a 3-pointer at the other end, but it was short and he grabbed his own rebound before turning it over.
LIGHTS OUT
The lights went out temporarily at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena with 8:59 left in the first half. Myles Cale had just made a fastbreak layup following a steal to give Seton Hall a 24-19 lead. He landed awkwardly after the basket and stayed on the floor for an extended period before jogging back to the bench. The lights came back on about five minutes later.
TECH TIME
Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann was called for a technical foul with 7:53 remaining for arguing with an official, and Aiken made two free throws to pull Seton Hall within 6361. It was the closest the Pirates had been since 28-26.
#2 UCLA 75, Bellarmine 62
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Peyton Watson had 19 points, Johnny Juzang added 13 and No. 2 UCLA beat Bellarmine 75-62 on Monday night in the Empire Classic.
Watson shot 9 of 12 and had four rebounds, easily outpacing his 3.3 points average through four games this season.
David Singleton added 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting for the Bruins (5-0), who will face No. 1 Gonzaga in a rematch of last season’s Final Four on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs won 93-90 in overtime on a buzzerbeater from Jalen Suggs.
Bellarmine (0-5) lost in double digits for the fourth time in five games and is coming off consecutive losses against the nation’s top two teams. The Knights
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lost 92-50 at Gonzaga on Friday.
#10 Kentucky 86, Albany 61
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — TyTy Washington Jr. scored 20 points for the second straight game, Keion Brooks Jr. added 17 points and Kentucky beat Albany for its fourth consecutive victory.
The Wildcats (4-1) led throughout but played at a slower pace than usual in building a 46-35 advantage early in the second half. A few spurts, including an 8-0 run to make it 61-39 with 8:28 remaining, put the game out of reach.
De’Vondre Perry scored 18 points and
Trey Hutcheson had 12 for the Great Danes (05), who shot 34% and made 6 of 13 from the foul line.
#12 Houston 70, Butler 52
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Fabian White Jr. scored 21 points and Houston rode a dominant first half to a win over Butler in the opening round of the Maui Invitational.
The Cougars (4-0) overwhelmed Butler early, scoring the game’s first 17 points while building a 21-point halftime lead. They weren’t quite as locked in at either end of the floor to start the second half, allowing the Bulldogs (32) to creep back in it.