Christoph Tilly scored 28 points in his first game for Ohio State and the Buckeyes spoiled the debut of IU Indianapolis coach Ben Howlett with a 118-102 victory on Monday in Columbus.
The Buckeyes (1-0) set the program record for points in an opener, besting the 111-72 win against Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 25, 1990.
Tilly, a transfer after three seasons at Santa Clara, scored 17 in the second half. Bruce Thornton had 26 points and Devin Royal had 19 of his 22 points in the first half.
The Buckeyes made 42 of 53 free throws; IU Indy was 14 of 20 from the line and committed 36 fouls.
Kameron Tinsley scored 22 points and Kyler D’Augustino had 21 for IU Indy. They were two of the four West Liberty players to follow Howlett to his new program.
Howlett was hired after eight seasons at West Liberty, taking his alma mater to the NCAA Division II tournament in each of his eight seasons.
In preseason comments he promised to bring his up-tempo, full-court style to the Jaguars (0-1). The Buckeyes (1-0) were happy to oblige, taking a 66-50 halftime lead for the third-most points in the first half in Ohio State history.
There were two factors: a blazing start from the floor and IU Indy’s propensity to foul.
The Buckeyes made their first eight field-goal attempts, including five 3-pointers, and carried an early 19-8 advantage.
Ohio State then hit just one of its final 10 treys in the first half, but the cold shooting was offset by the Jaguars picking up their 10th foul with 8:38 left to put the Buckeyes in the double bonus. They went 16 of 22 from the line through 20 minutes while Jaguars made 11 of 13.
IU Indy overcame the jittery early moments to pull to within 33-32 before the Buckeyes scored 13 consecutive points while the Jaguars missed six straight shots.
John Mobley Jr. finished with 16 points and eight assists for Ohio State.
Jaxon Edwards had 13 points, JP Dragas 11 and Matt Compas 10 to round out IU Indy’s double-figure scorers.
–Field Level Media
