No. 5 Buckeyes bounce back to win
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann was interested to see how his team would bounce back after suffering its first loss of the season on Sunday at Minnesota.
Holtmann was not impressed, however, after his Buckeyes committed 13 first-half turnovers and led struggling Southeast Missouri State by just nine points at halftime.
But the fifth-ranked Buckeyes pulled it together with a commanding 22-2 second-half run and pulled away for an 80-48 victory over the visiting Redhawks.
“I’m frustrated with the turnovers,” Holtmann said. “I’m disappointed and frustrated, and we’ve got to figure out how to correct it. But I also recognize we had some youth out there, too.”
Kaleb Wesson scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Ohio State (10-1), which dropped two spots in the AP Top 25 after the loss to Minnesota.
“We just weren’t playing Ohio State basketball,” Wesson said of his team’s play at Minnesota, as well as the first half against Southeast Missouri State. “We had to get out of our own way a little bit. We needed to go back to having fun.”
Andre Wesson scored 14 points, while Kyle Young and D.J. Carton each had 10 points for the Buckeyes.
No. 13 Dayton 71, North Texas 58: Jalen Crutcher and Ryan Mikesell scored 16 points apiece, and No. 13 Dayton finally shook free at the end Tuesday night for a 71-58 victory over North Texas.
The Flyers (9-1) took the court with their highest ranking since December 1968, when they made it as high as No. 6. A sloppy second half kept it close.
Dayton turned it over eight times in the second half, helping North Texas (4-7) cut the lead to nine points with six minutes left. Crutcher hit an unguarded 3-pointer that blunted the comeback, and the Mean Green fell short in their bid for a fourth all-time win over a ranked team.
Javion Hamlet had 19 points, and Zachary Simmons added 18 for North Texas.
No. 19 Florida State 98, North Florida 81: Balsa Koprivica scored 15 points and fellow big man Dominik Olejniczak added 11 as No. 19 Florida State defeated North Florida 98-81 on Tuesday night.
The 7-footers were able to capitalize on their height advantage, making shots in the lane and leading the Seminoles to a 39-27 rebounding edge. Koprivica was 6 of 8 from the floor, while Olejniczak went 5 for 7.
M.J. Walker had 11 points, one of seven Seminoles who scored in double figures. Florida State (9-2) has won 12 straight home games in a streak that dates to the 2018-19 season.
Ivan Gandia-Rosa scored 23 points, knocking down four 3-pointers, for North Florida (7-6). Garrett Sams added 20 points, also making four 3s.