Scarlet Sunrise: Career highs from Buckeyes backcourt delivers upset of No. 17 Alabama

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Career night from Buckeyes backcourt delivers upset of No. 17 Alabama

Ohio State turned the ball over on its first three possessions Friday night in Raider Arena.

Meanwhile, Alabama — which ranks third nationally in average possession length, according to KenPom — sprinted out to a quick 6-0 lead.

The Crimson Tide came into Emerald Coast Classic action in Niceville, Florida, with the No. 1 scoring offense, No. 1 3-point percentage and No. 1 effective field goal percentage in the nation.

But the Buckeyes, despite committing 10 first-half turnovers, kept pace with No. 17 Alabama. That was, in large part, thanks to sophomore guards Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr., who combined for a career-high 29 and 23 points, respectively.

Ohio State made double-digit 3-pointers for the second game in a row, converted a highly-efficient 28-of-30 free throws and limited Alabama — the top 3-point shooting team in the country — to 9-of-30 from beyond the arc. Head coach Chris Holtmann’s team entered halftime with a five-point lead, never gave it up and instead built on it, courtesy of a 10-0 run in the back half of the second period.

The 92-81 victory pushed the Buckeyes to 4-1 on the season. They’ll now play Santa Clara at 7 p.m. Saturday night for a chance to take the Emerald Coast Classic, an early-season tournament and the latest non-conference challenge for the program in the young 2023-24 campaign.

Two weeks after missing seven free throws in a 73-66 loss to then-No. 15 Texas A&M, the Buckeyes hit all but two shots from the charity stripe against their next ranked opponent, Alabama.

Ohio State shot an impressive 23-of-25 from the line in the second half alone. And when the Buckeyes weren’t cashing in on free throws, they were moving the ball particularly well in their half-court set against Alabama. Like when center Zed Key whipped the ball from the post to Dale Bonner on the right wing for a 3-pointer, or, soon after in the second half, when fellow transfer Jamison Battle fired a pass to a wide-open Key for a flush.

Thornton registered four assists. Gayle wasn’t far behind with two feeders of his own. Plus, Bonner and Key chipped in nine and 11 points off the bench, respectively.

As for the aforementioned 10-0 Buckeyes run, that saw Ohio State turn a 61-56 advantage into a 71-56 lead with 8:10 remaining. The spurt sandwiched Buckeyes’ surges of 7-3 and 8-2 earlier and later in the 54-point, second-half clinic. It featured four free throws — two from Key and two from Thornton — while Thornton drilled a pair of 3-pointers, one being a step-back make.

Previously undefeated Alabama was powered by forward Grant Nelson (20 points) as well as guards Mark Sears (17 points) and Aaron Estrada (19 points). But their efforts, including 13 points from Sears in the final frame, weren’t enough to counteract the production created by Gayle and Thornton.

Fittingly, the Buckeyes’ final field goal of the night came on an and-one layup from Gayle, who used a hesitation move to get a step on senior guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and then kissed a shot off the glass while being fouled.

Alabama still ranks first in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency. Ohio State, however, looked like the superior offensive team Friday night.

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Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 0 days

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