No. 21 Ohio State (2-0) dominated on all fronts to cruise to its second win in as many tries this season on Nov. 11, defeating overmatched Youngstown State (1-1) 81-47 in the Buckeyes’ home opener at Value City Arena.
Ohio State, who earlier in the day earned a spot in the AP top 25 poll for the first time since January 2023, proved it deserved to be ranked by bullying the Penguins from start to finish.
The Buckeyes built off their strong offensive outing against No. 19 Texas by shooting 55.4 percent from the field on 31-of-56 shooting (10-of-22 from three), while also holding the Penguins to just 23.7 percent shooting from the field and just three threes in 22 tries (13.6 percent). Ohio State was equally as dominant in the interior, holding an 41-29 edge on the glass and 36-22 advantage in points in the paint.
After leading wire-to-wire in its season opener against Texas, Ohio State trailed for the first time this year when 7-3 Youngstown State center Gabe Dynes soared for a dunk on the first play of the game. But that deficit didn’t last long. The Buckeyes held the Penguins scoreless for the next 6:14, allowing Ohio State to go on a long 12-0 run — five of those points coming from Aaron Bradshaw — to take a 12-2 lead with 14:10 left.
The Penguins broke the long scoring drought with a layup from Ty Harper at 13:30 and later cut the deficit to 12-6, but that momentum was stopped by true freshman John Mobley Jr., who continued his hot streak with two three-pointers in a span of 1:02 to give OSU an 18-8 lead with 12:07 left.
A Bruce Thornton three put the score at 21-8 with 10:09 left, but the Buckeyes were unable to extend their lead over the next five four minutes and change due to some poor decision making. Ohio State committed four turnovers in that span to keep Youngstown State in the game, and the Penguins eventually trailed by just nine, 27-18, with 6:06 after a Harper free throw.
But Ohio State started to create some separation at the end of the half. Sean Stewart connected on back-to-back layups, and after another Harper free throw, Thornton hit a fadeaway with 2:48 left to lead 35-20.
After two free throws from Nico Galette cut the deficit to 35-22, Ohio State held the Penguins scoreless for the final 2:16, and sixth-year guard Ques Glover connected on his first basket on a mid-range jumper to give the Buckeyes a 37-22 lead at half.
Ohio State held a commanding lead in the first half due to its strong team defense, which held the Penguins to just 7-of-32 shooting (21.9 percent) in the first half, including just 1-of-12 from three. It also held a 21-15 on the glass.
The Buckeyes kept it rolling to begin the second half, hitting on five of its first six field goals — including two more makes from Bradshaw inside the paint — to extend its lead to 48-25 with 16:32 left.
After the two teams traded baskets and free throws, Ohio State continued to pour it on with a 10-2 run — which included a conventional, then unconventional three-point play by Mobley — to go up 60-31 with 12:20 left.
Mobley’s three-pointer gave him his eighth make in as many tries to start his career, a streak that was broken after his long-range miss with 10:28 left. But after some choppy play on both sides he would hit another triple with 6:40 left to give the Buckeyes a 67-38 lead.
With the game squarely in hand, Ohio State began to empty out its bench as the game half progressed, and the reserves did not let up. The Buckeyes’ lead swelled to as high as 35 points at the end after walk-on freshman Braylen Nash hit his first three, allowing them to close out the game on a high note and cruise to the 34-point win.
Ohio State was led in the win by Bradshaw and Mobley, who each scored 16 points on a combined 10-of-15 shooting. Bradshaw was one point away from his career high. Thornton added 12 points, five rebounds and three assists while shooting an efficient 5-of-6 from the field, and Stewart had 10 and seven rebounds.
Youngstown State was led by Dynes and Harper, who both scored nine points on a combined 6-of-18 shooting.
Ohio State will look to go 3-0 on the season Friday night when it travels to No. 23 Texas A&M. Tip off is set for 9 p.m. on SEC Network.
