A quick note: This is the first post by Tim Webster who has offered to help cover Buckeye basketball. If you’re on Twitter, drop him a note and say hello at www.twitter.com/Twebster1229 (or in the comments below).
As I take to writing my first blog post for TheBuckeyBlog.com I can only wonder if the Lipscomb Bisons (0-4) felt the same way as I do as they walked into Value City Arena. Excited and energized, but ultimately resigned to the fact that it isn’t going to end quite like they (or I) had imagined the night before.
Before I continue I want to assure you that I didn’t go to that school up north and I do know that the plural of Bison is Bison. Try telling that to the good people of Nashville, TN where they will argue that in some dictionaries Bisons is a rarely used but acceptable pluralization of the word.
Coming off of two hard fought games against ranked opponents the Buckeyes (4-1) came out flat, turning the ball over 10 times and committing three goal-tending fouls in the first half (five turnovers for Evan Turner). It wasn’t all bad in the first as the Bucks were 64 percent from beyond the arc and they took a 36-27 lead into the locker room.
The second half wasn’t much better as the Buckeyes came out hot stretching their lead to 15 but the Bisons fought back to get within nine with 10 minutes left. They wouldn’t get any closer as OSU was just too strong down the stretch finishing them off from the charity stripe winning by 20, 84-64.
David Lighty was the star of the game for the Buckeyes scoring a career high 22 points (3-3 from 3pt) and adding seven rebounds. Evan Turner became the first Buckeye to record a double-double in his first five games since Clark Kellogg in 1980-81 and just the second Buckeye ever to record a triple double (16 pts, 11 rebs, 10 assists). This was his second triple double of the season.
All in all a win is a win, but if you are like me you would have liked to see a more complete game from the Buckeyes. This team will live and die with the outside shot until they create more of a post game with Dallas Lauderdale. I expect that Thad Matta will have the Buckeyes pumped up for their next game against St. Francis (PA) on Saturday and we won’t see the flat team that we saw in the first half tonight.
Buckeye Notes: Walter Offutt, a sophomore PG, is transferring from Ohio State due to lack of playing time. He has not selected a school to transfer to and will finish the semester at OSU.
Tim Webster is a native of Hamilton, Ohio and a lifelong Buckeyes fan. You can follow him on twitter at twitter.com/Twebster1229 for Buckeyes basketball updates and other odds and ends that involve the Scarlet and Grey.
