William Buford scores 25 as Ohio State Buckeyes down Valparaiso Crusaders 80-47 - NCAA Basketball
William Buford raked up a game-high 25 points, including 17 in the second half, as Ohio State Buckeyes defeated Valparaiso Crusaders 80-47 on November 25, 2011 at Value City Arena, Columbus.
Buford missed his first shots of the game but he then easily had the stat line of the game hitting 9 for 16 from the field, including a perfect 4 for 4 from three-point range and 3 for 5 from free throw line. Jared Sullinger recorded
his fourth double-double of this season with a game-high 13 rebounds and 14 points. Guard Aaron Craft played an effective game this time as he added 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds and stole the ball for four times. Deshaun Thomas ended with 12 points in
the victory.
Valparaiso saw only Jay Harris reach double figures with 18 points on 7 for 14 shooting from the field, including 4 for 9 from downtown. Guard forward Ryan Broekhoff pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds, posted seven points and
blocked two shots for the Crusaders.
Even though the Crusaders were overmatched, they did not play all that poorly. They shot 19 for 56 (33.9 percent) from the field and an 8 for 23 (34.8 percent) from long range. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, hit just 31 for 60 (51.7
percent) and 6 for 16 (37.5 percent) respectively. However, the Buckeyes dished out 23 assists as compared to just 11 by Valparaiso. In addition to that, Ohio State stole the ball for 12 times while the Crusaders stole just once.
Ohio State dominated early in the first half and held an 18-12 lead, but Valparaiso responded with 7-3 run to cut the deficit to two, 21-19. However, the Buckeyes then moved and shared the ball well, pushing their lead to 33-29
at halftime.
Sullinger punctuated seven points and Buford followed him with six of his points early in the second half as Ohio State jumped out to a 20-point lead, 51-31.
"My teammates were able to get me the ball and were setting good screens for me," Buford said. "And I was able to knock them down today."
The Buckeyes did not trail for rest of the period and walked away with their 28th consecutive victory at Value City Arena - matching the third-longest home streak at the school.
The third ranked Ohio State face the Duke Blue Devils in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Tuesday, November 29, 2011.
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