No. 13 Ohio State vs. Penn State: First Half Notebook

Here are some first half thoughts as the Buckeyes lead Penn State at the break.

Halftime Score: Ohio State 43, Penn State 39

C.J. Walker is coming off the bench again and that’s okay. It’s only his second game back and he’ll still give the Buckeyes quality minutes. Meanwhile, Penn State is without the best sixth man in the conference in Sam Sessoms, who accounts for 10.3 points per game. The Nittany Lions will definitely miss him.

The Buckeyes are off to a great start, highlighted by a Kyle Young dunk where he came flying in for an offensive rebound. Man, what a play. That should be on SportsCenter’s Top 10 in the morning.

HUSTLE PLAY. 🏃💨@OhioStateHoops | @kyle_young25 pic.twitter.com/4QqqALhiiL

— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) January 28, 2021

One thing mentioned pregame on the Big Ten Network was that Penn State had been more disciplined on defense, only committing 26 total fouls across its last two games. They’ve been whistled four times already, including two on their star Myreon Jones, and it’s only the first media timeout. The Buckeyes have made opponents pay at the free throw line all season long and, so far, tonight is looking no different.

Justin Ahrens is going off early. He’s made three of his first four attempts from beyond the arc. If he keeps shooting like this, he’s on his way to some career highs.

Keep an eye on Zed Key. The freshman has a tough matchup on the inside, going up against John Harrar, and, so far, Key is coming out on top. He’s got nine points already, which is the most he’s scored since the Nebraska game on December 30.

Where has Duane Washington Jr. been the last couple of games? He went 1-of-9 from the floor against Wisconsin and he’s 0-for-4 to start tonight. As soon as I typed that sentence, Washington drilled a trey late in the shot clock. He’ll need to find his rhythm because Penn State has made this a game after trailing big early. I will say, though, Washington has been getting his teammates involved as he’s got five assists already, only one shy of his career high, so that’s good to see.

Seth Lundy is single-handedly keeping the Nittany Lions in this game. He’s got a game-high 17 points so Ohio State will need to make some sort of adjustment to account for Lundy.

Justice Sueing is doing a little bit of everything so far with four points, five rebounds, two blocks and four steals. You have to love his effort, especially on the defensive end.

A couple of turnovers in the final seconds have made this a four-point game at halftime. The Nittany Lions aren’t going away any time soon.

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