Buckeyes blow out Santa Clara, win Emerald Coast Classic

Four of Ohio State’s first five baskets Saturday night in the Emerald Coast Classic were 3-pointers, and each of those was assisted on.

That set the tone for the 86-56 Buckeyes victory over Santa Clara in the early-season tournament title game.

Ohio State (5-1) converted a season-high 13 shots from beyond the arc and recorded a season-high 22 assists in the 30-point win, which was spearheaded by a game-high 21 points from Jamison Battle.

Battle attempted 18 shots, six more than in any other game this season. He knocked down five 3-pointers, including two in the game’s first five minutes, helping Ohio State jump out to a 14-6 lead.

Then, soon enough, two more Battle 3-pointers lifted the Buckeyes to a 24-11 advantage.

Santa Clara (6-1), which upset Oregon the previous night, was paced offensively by guards Adama-Alpha Bal (13 points), Carlos Marshall Jr. (10 points) and Tyeree Bryan (10 points).

The Broncos managed to hang around in the first half, largely because of their backcourt, but they were overcome by a fast-improving Ohio State defense that held then-No. 17 Alabama — still the No. 1-rated offense in the country — in check the night before.

Ohio State point guard Bruce Thornton got going down the stretch of the first half, first using a Euro step to split two Santa Clara defenders and score and then teeing up Evan Mahaffey for an alley-oop finish that put head coach Chris Holtmann’s team ahead, 34-26, at the break.

That was just a sneak peak of what was coming in a dominant second half for the Buckeyes. Thornton — the Emerald Coast Classic MVP — registered a career-high seven assists in the effort.

His backcourt mate, Roddy Gayle Jr., was also part of the All-Tournament Team and accounted for four helpers of his own.

The final period started with Gayle firing a pass inside for center Felix Okpara, who threw down a two-handed slam. Before the first media timeout of the second half, Thornton floated a perfect inbound pass for Okpara, who used a screen by Gayle to find an opening inside. Okpara caught the ball and, mid-air, slammed down a one-handed jam, extending the Buckeyes’ lead to 46-31.

Out went Okpara and in came Zed Key, who scored double-digits off the bench for the fifth time this season. With similar results inside as Okpara, Key flushed an alley-oop, too, which freshman forward Scotty Middleton celebrated with Key’s famous “raise the roof” celebration in Niceville, Florida’s Raider Arena.

Battle wasn’t the only Buckeyes transfer making an impact Saturday. Dale Bonner added 11 points, five of which came in the back half of the second period. Bonner dialed up the second of his two 3-pointers. Before long, he was coasting toward the cup and cashing in a steal for a layup. That transition score pushed the Ohio State lead to 67-44.

The Buckeyes continued to create distance between Santa Clara and themselves, even as they turned to the bench. All four freshmen played, including guard Taison Chatman, who missed the beginning of the season while recovering from a knee injury.

First-year forward Devin Royal knocked down a 3-pointer, and so did sophomore Bowen Hardman.

Ohio State carried over its offensive clinic from its impressive win over Alabama and continued to stack notable defensive performances, this time limiting a Santa Clara team that scored 77-plus points in five of its first six outings to a mere 56 points.