Dale Bonner Pushes Ohio State Buckeyes Past No. 17 Alabama Crimson Tide
The Ohio State Buckeyes started The Emerald Coast Classic with an upset Friday night, defeating the No. 17 Alabama Crimson Tide, 92-81.
This was the first road victory of the season for the Buckeyes, as well as their first triumph of the season over a ranked team.
Senior guard Dale Bonner was a catalyst for Ohio State, especially from three-point range. Bonner went three-of-four from beyond the arc, hitting some big-time baskets to give the Buckeyes some momentum over the Crimson Tide coming out of the halftime break.
Success from deep was not exclusive to Bonner. Ohio State had their best performance as a team from beyond the arc, hitting their mark 56 percent of the time.
The Buckeyes finished ahead of the Crimson Tide in several notable categories, including free-throw percentage (93-77), total rebounds (32-24) and bench points (25-19). The Tide held an edge over Ohio State when it came to points in the paint (28-24), points off of turnovers (17-13) and blocks (3-1).
Ohio State looked comfortable in their first game away from home, playing some of their best team-ball of the season. A majority of the Buckeyes' roster saw the floor against the Crimson Tide, including freshmen guard Taison Chatman and forward Devin Royal.
The Ohio State Buckeyes advance to The Emerald Coast Classic championship with the win, taking on the victor of an undefeated battle between the Santa Clara Broncos and Oregon Ducks. The tournament finale will be played at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 25.
