Defense, free throw shooting help Ohio State weather droughts versus Virginia Tech in NIT

COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler urged sophomore guard Roddy Gayle Jr. to play with more “force.” Buckeyes assistant coach Mike Netti shouted, “Next play, next play!” following a Felix Okpara turnover that saw the 6-foot-11 sophomore center step out of bounds along the baseline.

More than three minutes into Saturday night’s second-round NIT matchup against 3-seed Virginia Tech, 2-seed Ohio State had yet to score.

A Gayle 3-pointer put the wheels in motion, but, a 10-0 run near the midway point of the opening frame put Diebler’s Buckeyes in the driver’s seat.

By intermission, Ohio State had six different players with at least two field goals, not to mention a 10-point lead.

Just like Ohio State came to life in the first half, it did so again toward the end of the second half. Overcoming a pair of field goal droughts north of three and a half minutes, Ohio State (22-13, 9-11 Big Ten) used defense, free throws and timely playmaking from Gayle to fend off the Hokies (19-15, 10-10 ACC), 81-73.

10-0 first-half run flips game on its head, gives Buckeyes advantage

As was the case Tuesday in the first round of the NIT against Cornell, Ohio State stumbled out of the gates versus the Hokies. The Buckeyes missed their first five shots. Flash forward to the second media timeout, and they had more turnovers (four) than field goals (three).

Fortunately for Ohio State, Mike Young’s Virginia Tech squad had a difficult time scoring, too. While Ohio State began 3-of-13 from the field, the Hokies were a marginally better 5-of-13. What’s more, Virginia Tech’s clip was about to get a whole lot worse.

While Ohio State stitched together its aforementioned 10-0 surge, the Hokies went through a 3:52 scoring drought. Buckeyes sophomore point guard Bruce Thornton — who played despite spraining his ankle in the second half against Cornell — fueled the game-changing run, scoring or assisting 3-of-5 Ohio State buckets during that pivotal stretch.

Thornton’s assist in that sequence featured a lob that led to a Gayle alley-oop layup. Thornton wrapped the first period somewhat on triple-double watch with four points, four rebounds and four assists. He closed with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Gayle, meanwhile, bounced back from his early hiccups with a team-high nine points in the first half. It’s important to note, though, that he missed most of the second half with an apparent hand/wrist injury, sitting for about 11 minutes before checking back in with five and a half minutes to go.

The Buckeyes’ 10 straight points in the first half turned their 12-6 deficit into a 16-12 lead, which they grew to 36-26 by the time intermission rolled around.

Even without Scotty Middleton, Ohio State freshmen play noticeable role in back half of opening period

Ohio State was without freshman wing Scotty Middleton for the second game in a row, as Middleton remains back home while he attends to family matter. That said, the Buckeyes still received more than one contribution from its freshman class, particularly down the stretch of the first half.

After Virginia Tech tied the game at 19-19 with baskets from its big men — first a Mylyjael Poteat and-one and then a Lynn Kidd layup — Taison Chatman restored the Ohio State advantage with a 3-pointer. Chatman’s make was just his fourth long-range basket of his freshman season.

From there, the Ohio State lead only blossomed, in part because of Devin Royal. The breakout first-year forward followed Chatman’s 3-pointer with a turnaround jumper in the paint.

Later in the period, he used a back screen from center Zed Key to easily navigate to the cup, where he threw down a two-handed slam. A Thornton-turned-Jamison Battle fastbreak dunk, as well as an Okpara offensive rebound and putback, were also on display in the back half of the opening frame.

But without the efforts of Chatman and Royal, Ohio State might not have kept its foot on the gas like it did in the latter portion of the first period.

Buckeyes defense stands tall against Mike Young’s Hokies

Virginia Tech came into the night 32nd nationally in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency. The Hokies were fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage (46.7%) and tied fifth in the conference in 3-pointers made per game (8.2).

When all was said and done, Virginia Tech finished below its average of 75.0 points per game. The Hokies shot 40.6% from the field, including a mere 5-of-21 from long range.

Aside from Kidd, who scored the Hokies’ first two buckets, it took a while for the top Hokies to make their usual offensive impact. Notably, Ohio State limited Virginia Tech leading scorer Sean Pedulla to two points, in addition to turning him over three times, in the first half. Pedulla, however, clocked out with 18 points, and Virginia Tech sharpshooter Hunter Cattoor also had 18 points.

Diebler and Co. needed all the defense they could get, both in the opening stanza and in the second half, during which the Buckeyes went close to four minutes without a field goal on multiple occasions. Dale Bonner spelled the first drought with his second 3-pointer of the night.

The problem was, the Buckeyes struggled to capitalize on their heightened defensive activity. Three Ohio State players recorded blocks, and five more notched steals — including two from Key — but Diebler’s team had only 11 points off 15 Hokies turnovers.

Whether it was on the break after forcing a turnover or not, the Buckeyes couldn’t seem to find their shot. Along with the aforementioned near-four-minute field goal drought, Ohio State later went 4:16 without a field goal. During that span, Virginia Tech made it a one-possession game.

Back in the game, Gayle served up a no-look feed for Okpara, who delivered a dunk that put an end to the Buckeyes’ offensive headache. Soon after, Gayle knifed through the paint for a layup to make it 74-66.

While Ohio State reclaimed control of the game, it gave the Hokies a taste of their own medicine, holding them without a field goal for three straight minutes. The Buckeyes, who got in the bonus at the 12:56 mark of the second half and shot 29-of-32 from the line, finished the job with free throws.

Battle led Ohio State with 21 points, 17 of which came at the charity stripe, and 10 rebounds. Four other Buckeyes players wound up in double figures: Okpara (13 points, six rebounds), Thornton (12 points, six rebounds, seven assists), Bonner (12 points, five rebounds) and Gayle (11 points, four rebounds and two assists).