Jamison Battle and Bruce Thornton combined for 46 points in a statement victory for the Ohio State basketball team over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 76-72.
Ohio State came into this game with a respectable 11-2 record but 1-1 in Big Ten league play. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights, who were coming off a nail bitter against the 2-13 Stonehill Skyhawks, came into Columbus at 8-4 and needing a big-time win in January to get back on track.
The Buckeyes picked up a huge overtime victory on Saturday, ending a five-game losing streak to the West Virginia Mountaineers. Ohio State did not look like the same team who beat New Orleans by a whopping forty-two points the Thursday before Christmas.
On his radio show this past Tuesday, Coach Holtmann commented on the game in Cleveland, Ohio:
“It was a great environment”. “We knew we were going to get a different West Virginia team because of the guys they’d added. That environment, combined with them having everybody back. I’m just really, proud of the resolve of our guys.”
Jamison was a man on a mission in the first half. 😤@battletime510 x @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/u4I9hHTrkQ
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) January 4, 2024
Jamison Battle and Bruce Thornton combined for forty-six points in a season-changing victory over the Scarlet Knights 76-72. Ohio State went into the half up 45-32 after Jamison Battle connected on all five of his three-point attempts and a single two-point attempt to go into the locker room with seventeen points.
Rutgers started the game red-hot from the field. However, the Buckeye defense was able to quickly force the Scarlet Knights into bad shot attempts.
Are January Woes Turned Around?
January has been known to be the “Deciding Factor” for the Buckeyes during the Holtmann era. Last season was a down year as the Buckeyes posted a disappointing 2-7 during its nine-game January stretch. Holtmann and company have made it a goal to not yield the same results from past seasons this year.
Rutgers was down thirteen at the half and did not give up. Following the Big Ten’s unpredictable trend since opening night, the Scarlet Knights were bound to regain their ability to make contested shots and throw off the Ohio State defense. That is exactly what happened in the second half. Derek Simpson and Massachusetts transfer Noah Fernandes combined for 40 of the team’s 72 points.
The Scarlet Knights cut the lead to one point at the three-minute mark. But an Evan Mahaffey jump shot, and a Roddy Gayle Jr three-point bucket helped give the Buckeyes a six-point lead with a minute left in the ball game.
Closing out games has been a red flag all season for Team 125. But being able to close out against a well-coached Rutgers team should give the Buckeyes much-needed momentum as they have a tough schedule ahead.
Three-point shooting was the key for the Buckeyes as five different players connected from behind the arc. Ohio State shot 11-24 (45.8%) as a team. True Freshman forward Scotty Middleton impressed tonight, only making one basket, a three-pointer early in the first half. He was a major factor all over the court, on defense and creating shots for his teammates.
The next time you can catch the Buckeyes on the court is Saturday at 8:00 pm EST/7:00 pm CST. Ohio State travels to Assembly Hall to take on a 10-3 Indiana Hoosiers team that has struggled at home this season.
— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) January 4, 2024
Players of the Game
Jamison Battle: 22 pts, 3 rebs, 8-12 FG, 6-9 3PT
Bruce Thornton: 24pts, 7 asts, 4 rebs, 9-15 FG, 2-6 3PT, 4-6 FT
AJ is currently a senior at Teays Valley High School and plans to attend college next year. He has been a sports fan and Ohio State fan since he was a kid, and has been covering sports since 2020. He was a student manager for his Boy’s Basketball team for two seasons where the team won back to back league championships. AJ runs his own podcast called Just Talkin Sports, where he interviews athletes from all sports. He has over 1,800 plays on Spotify and 300 followers on Instagram. AJ plans to study Sport Management and minor in Journalism while also becoming a student manager for his selected college.