The Ohio State Buckeyes took down the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at home on Saturday, winning 80-66 to claim their first Big Ten victory of the season.
The Buckeyes came up well short against the Maryland Terrapins Wednesday in their first conference battle of the season, failing on the road, 83-59. OSU will brace for a home match with No. 2 Auburn next Saturday, an ESPN2 featured game.
That said, how did the Buckeyes manage to take down the Scarlet Knights? Well, they got back to efficient offense, shooting 55.2% from the field despite connecting on just six of 18 three-point attempts.
Ohio State was led by Devin Royal and Bruce Thornton, both of which dropped 22 points and shot over 55% from the field.
It also was able to limit free throw attempts for its opponent as Rutgers got to the line just 12 times. On top of that, Ohio State won the turnover battle, forcing 14 turnovers and committing just 11.
Here are some highlights from the Ohio State victory.
🔺 Devin Royal: 22 PTS
🔺 Bruce Thornton: 22 PTSThese two helped @OhioStateHoops to a dominating 80-66 win over Rutgers 😤#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/VIaXg0j5vd
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) December 7, 2024
After starting the season with a victory over then-No. 19 Texas and winning five of their first six, the Buckeyes have struggled, going just 1-2 in their last three.
Hopefully this win gets them in the right mentality to welcome a top-three program this coming weekend.
