Thad Matta gave a halftime talk that was unique after his Ohio State Buckeyes held overmatched Samford to six measly points.
Basically, it was this: Don’t laugh at the Bulldogs.
“He told us, it’s zero-zero and if he sees someone with a smile, he pretty much, well, you know how that goes from there,” swingman Evan Turner said.
Turner scored 16 points and had a career-high 13 rebounds and Ohio State held Samford to the fewest points by an opponent in 69 years in a 59-22 victory on Saturday.
The Bulldogs (3-2) had only nine field goals while the Buckeyes (3-0) blocked seven shots.
It was the fewest points by a Samford team since the Bulldogs lost 35-21 to Auburn on Feb. 19, 1941. Ohio State had not held a team to fewer points since a 34-22 win over Wabash on Dec. 14, 1939.
“It seemed like the game took two weeks to play out there,” Samford coach Jimmy Tillette said. “Our offense was a weapon of mass destruction. Obviously, we had no answers for their size and athleticism. It couldn’t have been a worse day for media timeouts because they lasted about 10 minutes.”
Dallas Lauderdale had 10 points for the Buckeyes.
The game was over almost before it began, with the Buckeyes scoring the first seven points while holding Samford scoreless over the opening 7:25. The Bulldogs scored on consecutive possessions – then didn’t score again for 8½ minutes.
By that time, they trailed 24-4 and had hit 2 of their first 19 shots from the field.
Still, they remained in their Princeton-style offense while the Buckeyes piled up a 30-6 lead at the half. The Bulldogs hit just 3 of 23 shots from the field, were 0 for 7 behind the arc and never shot a free throw.
“Defensively we had a very good effort,” Matta said. “One of the biggest keys going into this game, we said that they scored two ways. They scored layups or 3-point shots and our primary focus was on taking the 3-point shot away. We sustained defensive intensity.”
The Bulldogs finished just 9 of 48 from the field (19 percent) and misfired on all but two of their 18 3-point shots.
Turner said it was Ohio State’s defense more than it was Samford’s ineptitude on offense.
“We were standing there in front of them. We got the rebounds and did the necessary things to make them miss,” he said. “We take great pride in our defense, so I think it’s most definitely us. They’re a good 3-point shooting team; that’s what they hang their hat on. They take their time and try to beat you backdoor and make you look kind of foolish. So I think it was us.”
About the only thing that entertained an announced crowd of 13,412 at Value City Arena was a brief skirmish midway through the second half. Gaby Bermudez was going up for a shot when he was fouled hard and knocked to the floor by Ohio State’s 7-foot freshman center, B.J. Mullens. While Bermudez sat on the floor clapping, teammate Jim Griffin stepped up and shoved Mullens. Ohio State’s Jeremie Simmons then pushed Griffin, who fell over Bermudez and hit the deck.
The officials reviewed video before determining that Griffin and Simmons would be assessed offsetting technical fouls.
Samford didn’t get to 10 points until the 14:23 mark of the second half. The crowd applauded out of pity.
“For us, there’s three positives: we got a check; it didn’t snow so we can get back to warmer weather; and I don’t have a permanent domicile underneath the bridge on the Olentangy River,” Tillette cracked, referring to the span just outside the arena. “So that’s a good point for me.”
