Playing against the No. 8 nationally-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, the AU Men’s basketball team was edged out by a score of 63-52 at Value City Arena on Nov. 20.
The Eagles (1-2, 0-0 PL) kept the score close, leading with a little over six minutes left to play in the first half, 20-17, against the Buckeyes (4-0, 0-0 BT). However, Ohio State, playing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, took control and secured the win.
Coming off their first victory this season against the University of Maryland at Baltimore Country, AU got off to a hot start, jumping to a 14-10 lead after two consecutive three-pointers by sophomore guard Jesse Reed and junior guard John Schoof, respectively.
Next, after Ohio State evened the score, AU surged back, this time with back-to-back lay-ups by freshman guard Charlie Jones and Schoof, respectively, to make the score 20-17.
But then, the No. 8 Buckeyes went on a nine-point run to take control of the game. OSU senior guard Aaron Craft scored four points and OSU clinched a 28-23 lead at halftime.
In the second half, Ohio State built its lead to 37-27. Junior guard Scott Shannon was instrumental for the Buckeyes, picking up four points and two assists, including a layup after a steal, during this run.
But yet again, AU came within six points of the lead after senior center Tony Wroblicky put up a layup and Reed drained another three pointer.
Much later in the game, AU was able to go on a six point run with two baskets by Wroblicky and another by Reed but it wasn’t enough. An undefeated Ohio State got its fourth win.
Players for both teams had impressive nights. Reed led AU in points, finishing the night with 15. Wroblicky also put up big numbers. He finished with 14 points and led the team in rebounds with seven boards. As a team, the Eagles shot 46 percent compared to 36 percent for OSU. AU also had seven blocks to OSU’s two.
For the Buckeyes, junior center Amir Williams led his squad with a career-high 16 points.
This game was the first game of a four-game road trip for the Eagles, who will play their next game at Mount St. Mary’s on Nov. 23.
