Buckeyes Barrel Creighton Nicely In 69-60 Win

For the first time in 50 years, a Big Ten basketball team has gone into Creighton’s gym and beaten the Bluejays on their home court.

Led by Keyshawn Woods’ game-high 19 points — and finished by C.J. Jackson’s six — the Buckeyes (3-0) went into Creighton’s living room and redecorated it with a 69-60 win over the Bluejays (2-1).

Woods came off the bench to provide scoring for the Buckeyes and not only led the team in scoring, but also in minutes (32), assists (4), and turnovers (0).

Creighton got the jump early, running out to a 10-2 lead in the first half. A three-pointer from Woods, who hit 3-of-5 on the night, cut the lead to 10-5. That three was then followed by a three-pointer from freshman guard Duane Washington, who hit 3-of-4 from deep and scored 12 points.

Consecutive threes by Woods and Washington a couple of minutes later gave Ohio State their first lead of the game at 16-14. The lead then grew by three more points thanks to Andre Wesson’s long-range jumper.

Another three-pointer by Woods a few minutes later made it 30-21, and a three-pointer from Kaleb Wesson two minutes later made it 37-25 Ohio State, closing out the scoring for both teams in the first half.

Wesson scored nine points in just 21 minutes of action. Buckeye head coach Chris Holtmann was working some different lineups throughout the game, providing defensive matchups for Bluejays to deal with. That decision helped hold Creighton to 23-of-52 (.442) shooting.

The Bluejays quickly cut the lead to just seven points early in the second half, but the Buckeyes were able to move it back up to 12 points. An 8-0 run for Creighton in less than two minutes sent the lead back down to four, and a three-pointer by Bluejay guard Ty-Shon Alexander tied it up at 48-48 with 9:47 remaining.

The lead then went back and forth for a few minutes, with the teams never being separated by more than a field goal. That changed with 2:57 to play, however, when Creighton’s Mitch Ballock drilled a three to make it 60-56. Washington answered with a three of his own just 15 seconds later.

And then with OSU trailing by one point with 2:10 to play, senior point guard C.J. Jackson scored his first points of the game — a three-pointer from the wing — to give the Buckeyes a two-point lead. A dunk by sophomore forward Kyle Young 50 seconds later made it a four-point game.

On Creighton’s ensuing possession, OSU freshman guard Luther Muhammad knocked the ball out of bounds off of guard Davion Mintz, and then C.J. Jackson added a jumper in the paint to make it 66-60 with 46 seconds to play.

The Buckeyes then closed it out with three more three throws to make the final 69-60, ending the game on a 13-0 run. Creighton missed their final five field goal attempts because of Ohio State’s constant defensive pressure.

The Star

Keyshawn Woods, for the first time as a Buckeye, looked for his points early in this game. Whether it was a directive from Chris Holtmann or just a tremendous feel for what the team needed, he attacked Creighton throughout the game. He made 7-of-13 field goals and both of his free throws. He had absolutely no fear in driving or pulling up. Woods displayed his veteran presence throughout this game and then at the end of the game he was like a mama dog feeding her pups. That three-pointer late in the game from C.J. Jackson? That came on a drive and dish from Woods. The dunk from Kyle Young that followed? So was that. And before people say he should be starting, why not take a look at what Ohio State has been able to do with him coming off of the bench.

❕@KeyshawnWoods1 dish to @kyle_young25 for the big 2️⃣ in crunch time ?#Team120 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/XM0VuYChMq

— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 16, 2018

Quick Thoughts

+ These freshmen are fearless, and it’s not just guards Duane Washington and Luther Muhammad. There was a point in the first half where Jaedon LeDee nearly took a three-pointer from the top of the key, and then a few seconds later he drove from the top of the key, dropping in a spin move and getting fouled. Muhammad didn’t have a great night offensively — he scored just four points due to poor shooting and foul trouble. But when he was inserted back into the game late in the second half, he never stopped being the stopper that he is. He played smart, but still played hard. Then you have Duane Washington. Washington has now made 10-of-15 three-pointers on the season. His ability to pull up from anywhere on the court is hard to teach, and his courage in driving and taking big shots as a freshman is impossible to teach.

+ Maybe — just maybe — Chris Holtmann knows what he’s doing. Admit it, you were yelling for him to bench C.J. Jackson. Sure, he benched Jackson a couple of times, but he went back to him late in the game and right on cue Jackson did something to help secure the victory.

+ Everybody on this team can shoot the three, and right now they’re shooting it pretty well. The Buckeyes were 10-of-21 from deep, but eventually they are going to hit some lulls. Duane Washington isn’t going to shoot .667 from beyond the arc this season. The good news is that when the offense does dip, the defense doesn’t. The aggression, tenacity, and effort is there on every single defensive possession, and that kind of result will make up for some cold nights from the field this year.

The Celebration

Our Honor DEFEND❗️ pic.twitter.com/urCr5u00To

— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 16, 2018

The Box Score

[Keyshawn Woods photo courtesy OhioStateBuckeyes.com. | Ohio State Basketball]