Ohio State Closes 2023 Home Schedule with Dominant Win Over New Orleans
The Ohio State Buckeyes closed out their 2023 home schedule on a good note Thursday night with a victory over the New Orleans Privateers.
Senior forward Jamison Battle was the leading scorer for the Buckeyes in their 78-36 win over the Privateers, ruling the box score with 17 individual points alongside nine rebounds.
Battle's big performance was driven by his impressive shooting from beyond the arc. The Minnesota transfer buried five of his eight three-point shot attempts to finish with a clip of over 62 percent.
Battle was not the only Buckeye with a strong night against the Privateers. Senior forward Zed Key made his first start of the season, recording 16 points and five boards by the end of the contest.
Sophomore guard Bruce Thornton dropped in 11 points over 25 minutes of playing time, making Thursday against New Orleans his ninth-straight game scoring in double figures. The only contest this season in which Thornton has not eclipsed that mark was his eight-point outing on November 15 against Merrimack College.
Senior guard Dale Bonner contributed ten points for Ohio State coming off the bench. The Buckeyes reserves outscored those of the Privateers when everything was said and done, 22-11.
Ohio State found themselves without head coach Chris Holtmann and sophomore center Felix Okpara entering Thursday's affair with New Orleans. The Buckeyes helmsman and big man missed the contest with the Privateers due to illness.
The Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team will wrap up 2023 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio in the Legends of Basketball Showcase. The Buckeyes will tip off with the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday, December 30 at 7 p.m., with live coverage of the game airing nationally on FOX.
