OSU pulls away from Valparaiso

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

William Buford scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half and No. 3 Ohio State routed Valparaiso 80-47 on Friday night.

Aaron Craft added 15 points and eight assists for the Buckeyes (6-0), who tuned up for a big home showdown against No. 6 Duke on Tuesday. Jared Sullinger had 14 points and 13 rebounds and Deshaun Thomas chipped in with 12 points.

Jay Harris led the Crusaders (5-2) with 18 points.

Ohio State had just six turnovers and scored 24 points off of Valparaiso’s 18 miscues.

The Crusaders also shot just 34 percent from the field against Ohio State’s opportunistic defense. Kevin Van Wijk, a 6-foot-8 post from the Netherlands, came in averaging 17.8 points a game but was held scoreless with four fouls. No. 2 scorer Ryan Broekhoff was averaging 15.5 points and had just seven.

The game clearly tilted at the outset of the second half. The Buckeyes brought a four-point lead into the final 20 minutes, but they quickly asserted themselves at both ends of the floor.

The Crusaders had the ball first via alternate possession, but Craft came in out of nowhere to steal the ball out of Van Wijk’s hands when he was about to score on a backdoor pass. Sullinger then popped out for a 15-foot jumper and the Buckeyes were off and running.

Lenzelle Smith Jr. hit a 15-footer, then assisted on a Buford layup before Buford passed inside to Sullinger for another bucket. After a Crusaders basket, Buford came off a screen to hit an 18-footer to make it 43-31. Sullinger drilled a 3 from the left elbow before Craft hit a fast-break layup and nailed a 3 from the right corner. Evan Ravenel’s free throw ended the surge, putting the Buckeyes up 52-31.

The lead never dropped below 15 points again.