COLUMBUS — Keita Bates-Diop, Jae’Sean Tate and Kam Williams each scored 15 points as Ohio State took advantage of poor-shooting Youngstown State in a 77-40 blowout Tuesday night.
Trevor Thompson contributed a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds, and C.J. Jackson had eight points for Ohio State (9-3) in a game that was never in doubt. Youngstown State (6-7) shot only 21 percent from the floor was beaten badly on the boards by the Buckeyes, who scored 48 points in the paint and shot 50 percent on the night.
Matt Donlan led Youngstown State with 10 points and six rebounds. The Horizon League team hasn’t beaten the Buckeyes in four tries.
The Penguins were just 2 for 21 from the 3-point line while Ohio State managed five baskets in 15 attempts from beyond the arc.
Ohio State rolled out to a 12-1 lead to start the game and led 42-14 at the half. The Penguins suffered a scoring drought of more than 5 minutes in the middle of the half and shot 14.8 percent in that first frame. They hit just two of their last 18 shots to finish the half 4 for 27 from the floor.
Ohio State center Micah Potter suffered a sprained ankle on the opening tip and had to be helped off the court, with Thompson taking his place. Potter, a 6-foot-9 freshman, is averaging 4.3 points and 4.1 rebounds.
Toledo 78,
Southeastern Louisiana 56
TOLEDO — Jonathan Williams scored 24 points, Jaelan Sanford pumped in 15 more and Toledo cruised to a 78-56 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday night.
Jordan Lauf added 13 points and Nate Navigato had 10 with six rebounds for Toledo (4-6), which pulled away with a big second half. The Rockets shot 52 percent over the final 20 minutes and dominated at the line, hitting 23 of 28 overall to Southeastern Louisiana’s 5 of 13.
Toledo took the lead for good early in the first half with a 9-0 run capped by Sanford’s 3-pointer to make it 18-10, and carried a 33-26 advantage into the break. Early in the second half, a pair of free throws from Williams stretched the lead to 40-29 and the Rockets continued to expand the double-digit advantage down the stretch.
Moses Greenwood led Southeastern Louisiana (6-4) with 15 points and Davon Hayes had 14.
Xavier 85,
Eastern Washington 56
CINCINNATI — Edmond Sumner ditched the tape on his injured finger and played his best all-around game, a good sign for No. 17 Xavier as it enters Big East play.
Sumner scored 12 of his 14 points while Xavier took control in the first half, and the Musketeers picked up their third straight win.
After a sluggish start, the Musketeers (10-2) took control with a 35-8 run. Sumner ran the show, ignoring the finger injury he suffered a few games ago.
“Every time I catch or dribble the ball, it’s just nagging,” said Sumner, who had been taping together the two outside fingers on his left hand. “I’m a little superstitious. With the tape, I felt I had no control over the ball. I had to suck it up and play through the pain.”
Sumner finished with a career-high nine assists and no turnovers. Trevon Bluiett added 16 points, and Xavier had five players score in double figures.
Jacob Wiley had 16 points for Eastern Washington (8-4) , which trailed by as many as 29 points.
“We were up 11 at the 11-minutes mark, then Xavier showed why they’re a Top 10 team,” Eastern Washington coach Jim Hayford said. “They were 6 for 6 closing out the first half. When they shoot the ball that well, they’re an unbeatable team.”
Eastern Washington made eight of its first 13 shots — including two 3s by Felix Von Hofe — against Xavier’s sluggish defense for a 22-11 lead. That’s when Xavier turned it on, finishing the half on a 35-8 surge.
“We clamped down after sleep walking for the first 8 minutes or so,” coach Chris Mack said.
Kaiser Gates hit three of Xavier’s seven 3s during the spurt and finished with a season-high 12 points . Gates, a sophomore forward, had knee surgery before the start of the season and missed the first five games. He’s struggled to get back in form, making only 4 of 17 from behind the arc before Tuesday night.
“Overall I’d say it’s the best I’ve felt,” Gates said. “I felt a lot more loose than usual, a little more bouncy.”
