Chris Holtmann on EJ Liddell hitting 1,000-point mark, Ohio State rebounding in Minnesota win
Thursday night was a big night for EJ Liddell and No. 16 Ohio State. Not only did the Buckeyes get a victory over Minnesota, but Liddell made history.
Liddell scored his 1,000th point in the victory — becoming the 60th player in Ohio State history to reach that mark. It was also Holtmann’s 100th career victory, but he was more focused on Liddell’s big night in his postgame press conference.
He was also impressed with his group’s ability on the boards, which he credits for carrying the Buckeyes to a 75-64 victory.
“I thought much was talked about with EJ crossing that 1,000-point barrier. Congratulations to him,” Holtmann told reporters after the game. “I’m so happy for him. He’s had a phenomenal career, he’s led this team in a really special way … I’m so happy for the kid. Ironically, it was the best rebounding performance that I think he’s had here.
“All in all, I think our ability honestly at times our best zone offense was the glass. We need to get better at executing against the zone, but I thought we were able to get key rebounds.”
Liddell put on quite a show to put himself over the 1,000-point mark. He finished with 23 points on 9 for 14 shooting while grabbing 15 rebounds and dishing five assists to lead the Ohio State offense.
With the win, Ohio State improved to 13-4 overall and 6-2 in Big Ten action. The Buckeyes now get ready for a big game against No. 6 Purdue in West Lafayette on Monday.
WATCH: EJ Liddell gets steal followed by assist against Minnesota
What’s prettier than a coast-to-coast basket? One that’s followed up with an alley-oop.
Senior Minnesota forward Charlie Daniels’ inside pass was stolen by Buckeye star EJ Liddell, who took the ball up the court and found Malaki Branham cutting in on the right for the alley-oop finish. While it wasn’t your usual catch and flush highlight, it was a pretty play that helped get the Buckeyes going early against a formidable Gophers team.
Liddell leads Ohio State in points per outing with 19.4 to go with his 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.
He recently notched a new career high (34) against Northwestern, torching the nets early and he rode that all the way to a career-high of 34 points. His hot shooting was a big reason the Buckeyes were able to come out on top against Northwestern, 95-87 on Jan. 9.