Ohio State starts hot, Texas doesn't in 80-72 Buckeyes victory in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Bruce Thornton scored 20 points, and the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the 19th-ranked Texas Longhorns 80-72 on Monday night.
Micah Parrish added 17 points and six rebounds for the Buckeyes, who led wire-to-wire and shot 55.6% in the second half.
Devin Royal had 16 points and John Mobley Jr. scored 14 off the bench, leading Ohio State to a 33-10 advantage in bench scoring.
Freshman Tre Johnson led all scorers with 29 points and five rebounds for the Longhorns, and Arthur Kaluma and Kadin Shedrick each had 10. The rest of the Longhorns shot a combined 7 of 29 (24.1%) from the floor.
Takeaways
Ohio State: The Buckeyes built a 15-point lead in the first half after opening the game by shooting 50% (10 of 20) from the floor, including 9 of 12 from 3-point range.
Texas: The Longhorns had won 21 of their previous 22 season openers before Monday’s loss.
Key moment
After the Longhorns pulled within four early in the second half, Ohio State’s Evan Mahaffey snatched a rebound off the defensive glass and converted in transition with a layup at the other end. The bucket triggered a 9-3 run that instilled confidence in the Buckeyes, who controlled the pace after rebuilding a 49-39 lead.
Key stat
15 - Johnson showed no signs of freshman jitters in his college debut, as his offense in the first half kept the Longhorns in the game. Johnson scored 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range, in the first 20 minutes.
Up next
Ohio State hosts Youngstown State on Monday, while Texas opens the home portion of its schedule Friday against Houston Christian.
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