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Ohio State dominates Texas-Pan American

Dec 3, 2011 - 8:08 PM Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Evan Ravenel netted 11 points and pulled down seven rebounds, leading No. 2 Ohio State to a 64-35 drubbing of Texas-Pan American on Saturday.

Buckeyes sophomore forward Jared Sullinger missed the game with back spasms, but that didn't stop Ohio State (8-0), as Deshaun Thomas dropped 11 points to go with five rebounds, while Scott Shannon and Jordan Sibert contributed seven points apiece.

Ohio State has won 30 consecutive games at Value City Arena.

"One of the key things we challenged our guys to this game was defensively to test where their minds were," Ohio State head coach Thad Matta said. "We came out with great energy on the defensive end, but for some reason we weren't able to put the ball in the basket when we wanted to. We missed three point- blank lay-ups, and it catapulted itself into poor game shooting. However, in the end, we were able to contribute as a team and get a great win."

Jared Maree paced Texas-Pan American (2-7) with 13 points, while Ruben Cabrera and Aaron Urbanus added eight points apiece.

Ohio State jumped out to an early nine-point lead, using an 11-2 run over the first eight-plus minutes of the opening half before a three-pointer by Cabrera finally stopped the run.

A three-pointer by Sibert put Ohio State up by 10, 18-8, and a layup by Thomas gave the Buckeyes a 22-9 advantage with less than six minutes to play in the opening half.

Ohio State closed out the first half shooting 46 percent from the floor and 2- for-5 from beyond the arc to hold a 31-14 edge at the break.

In the second half, a layup by Thomas just over three minutes in made it a 20- point game, 36-16, and the Buckeyes reeled off an 8-2 run over the next three- plus minutes of game time to race out to a 44-18 lead.

Ohio State shot 34 percent in the second half and a dunk by J.D. Weatherspoon with 35 seconds left gave the Buckeyes their largest lead of the game at 32.

The Buckeyes also shot 8-of-11 from the free throw line in the second half, while Texas-Pan American did not draw any free throws during the second 20 minutes of play.

Sloppy play doomed the Broncs, as they committed 21 turnovers in the game, leading to 32 Ohio State points.

"Obviously it was a unique experience for our players to play in a game of this nature," Texas-Pan American head coach Ryan Marks said of the chance to face Ohio State. "I think sometimes as coaches we have to appreciate how special it is for guys like this to play against a team like Ohio State, a team that will have a chance at a national championship and is one of the top teams in the nation."

Game Notes

This bout marked the first-ever meeting between Texas-Pan American and Ohio State on the hardwood...Texas Pan American never led in the game...The Buckeyes are off to an 8-0 start for the second consecutive year...Thomas scored in double figures for the 18th time in his career...The Broncs managed only four free throw attempts for the game...Matta earned his 300th career win.