Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State pulls away from Merrimack with second-half run
Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.
Ohio State pulls away from Merrimack with second-half run
Ohio State conquered the Merrimack 2-3 zone Wednesday night and moved to 2-1 with a 76-52 win.
It was all Roddy Gayle Jr. early. The sophomore guard entered the game 0-of-7 from downtown through two games this year but kicked off the non-conference matchup with a pair of 3-pointers. Gayle finished 3-of-4 from deep and tied his career high with 20 points.
At one point in the second half, Gayle was 7-of-8 from the field while the rest of Ohio State was 6-of-27. That was before the Buckeyes found their groove offensively and pulled away with a 24-3 run that included 16 unanswered points.
But the performance from Gayle — who also found success against Oakland’s 1-1-3 zone in the opener — can’t be understated. He also delivered a pair of dunks, including another alley-oop from classmate and point guard Bruce Thornton, this one off an inbound pass.
Thornton tied his career high with six assists but contributed just eight points on 2-of-6 shooting. The offensive help Gayle got in the final frame largely came from other directions, perhaps most notably from center Zed Key, who mounted an 11-and-12 double-double off the bench. That said, the playmaking ability of Thornton was part of the equation that resulted in the Buckeyes’ second-half surge.
The Merrimack guard pairing of Budd Clark and Devon Savage — plus forward Bryan Etumnu — is responsible for keeping head coach Joe Gallo’s team in it for much of Wednesday night’s contest.
That trio rounded out the first half with 20 points. Clark and Savage, in particular, fueled a 12-4 run in the latter portion of the period that turned a 23-11 game into a 27-23 affair. Savage matched Gayle’s 20 points for a game-high scoring effort.
But Merrimack, especially without leading scorer Jordan Derkack, didn’t have the offensive firepower to keep pace with Ohio State late. Once the Buckeyes got going, it was over.
After shooting 25% from long range in the first two outings, they finally established a rhythm from beyond the arc, converting 6-of-9 attempts from deep in the second half. Minnesota transfer Jamison Battle knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. Thornton added another, all during the aforementioned streak of 16 straight Ohio State points.
Earlier in the half, freshman forward Scotty Middleton drilled a triple. And in the waning minutes, Baylor transfer Dale Bonner got in on the fun with his first 3-pointer of the season.
Speaking of firsts, freshman forward Devin Royal scored his first points in scarlet and gray. His second of two buckets was a byproduct of an assist delivered from center Austin Parks, another Buckeyes first year. Parks made his debut in the final minutes of the blowout win.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Dylan Raiola injury
Nebraska QB will play vs. USC
- 2
Elko pokes at Kiffin
A&M coach jokes over kick times
- 3New
SEC changes course
Alcohol sales at SEC Championship Game
- 4
Bryce Underwood
Michigan prepared to offer No. 1 recruit $10.5M over 4 years
- 5Trending
Dan Lanning
Oregon coach getting NFL buzz
NOTES
- The recorded attendance of 7,929 marks the fewest fans for a regular season game in Value City Arena history, according to Adam Jardy of The Columbus Dispatch.
- Free throw shooting remains a concern. For the second game in a row, the Buckeyes missed seven shots from the charity stripe, this time going 16-of-23.
- Ohio State’s eight 3-pointers against Merrimack are a season high. The Buckeyes needed just 14 attempts to get there. For reference, they were 7-of-25 versus Oakland’s zone in the opener. Ohio State thrived on making triples off ball screens Wednesday night.
- The underrated story of the second half was the Buckeyes capitalizing on Merrimack turnovers. They scored 17 points off those, separating from the Warriors in the process.
Pair of Ohio State football true freshmen shed black stripes
Less than a week removed from a freshman-heavy second half during a 38-3 blowout win over Michigan State, two more Buckeyes first-year players shed their black stripes.
Miles Walker become the fourth and final offensive lineman from the 2023 class to receive the post-practice honor. Head on over here for that story.
And safety Jayden Bonsu is officially a Buckeye, too, after making his mark on the program. Go here for more details on his black stripe removal.
Tim May: Buckeyes forging own journey into late November
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh labeled his Wolverines “America’s Team” this week. So that led Lettermen Row’s Tim May to ask Ryan Day what this year’s Ohio State squad represents.
The fifth-year Buckeyes head coach appeared to appreciate the facetious question and took it his own way with an answer about his program’s journey to this point of November and the identity it’s formed.
“I can tell you this, coming to work every day with these guys, the consistency, the maturity, the competitiveness, the look in their eye — this is a great team to be around,” Day said. “Great guys.”
Check it out here.
RELATED
Counting down
Buckeyes vs. Minnesota: 2 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 9 days
Are you subscribed yet?
Are you ready to get all your latest Ohio State news in one place? Become a member of Lettermen Row today. With your Lettermen Row/On3+ membership, you’ll not only have access to everything that’s happening with the Buckeyes, but you’ll also be able to peruse other fan sites within the network to hear just how rivals are feeling about Ohio State, as well. Make sure to follow along on X, Instagram and on Youtube for all the latest Buckeyes news you need to know.
