OSU Game: Tale of 2 Halves

Today's game proved the difference a half can make. The Bulldogs trailed 30-20 at the end of the first half, but came back to win 65 to 45.

The dawgs got off to a slow start during the first off as OSU scored the first 5 points. Throughout the half, the buckeyes made shots while the dawgs where not able to.

The biggest stat from the first half was 3 point shooting. The Dawgs went 1 for 16 which is equivalent to 6.3%. It was clear that OSU watched the film from the games in Alaska as the Buckeyes' defenders were at the 3 point arc guarding the Bulldogs. Many of the missed treys where decent looks as several bounced off the rim.

It also appeared that the Buckeyes wanted Butler to prove they can play in the post. Matt Howard responded to this challenge. Howard scored 13 of Butler's 20 points in 14 minutes of playing time in the first half. He also committed 1 foul during the period. It was great to see him play without getting called for fouls.

The biggest lead of the first half for the Buckeyes was 14 at the 7:06. BU got the lead down to 13 points when they had the ball for the final position of the half. During that possession AJ Graves was wide open in the corner of the court and sank a trey with time expiring. The refs reviewed the play to confirm that the ball was released in time.

During the second half, OSU scored the first basket making the score 32-20. Pete Campbell and Mike Green made three point shots which forced OSU to take a full timeout at the 17:46 mark with the score 32-26. After the 2 treys, the crowd got back into the game and was the 6th man for the dawgs for the rest of the night.

Right after play resumed Campbell hit a trey making the score 32-29. The score remained the same until the 14:30 mark when OSU's Koufos made a bucket. The score was 34 to 29. In the next 4:30 the game completely changed. At the 10:00 mark Graves hit a trey which tied the score at 38. From that point on the dawgs scored 27 points and the Buckeyes scored 7. The dawgs scored 45 points in the second half and the Buckeyes scored 16 points.

During the second half Howard scored 10 point which gave him 23 total for the night. He was the leader for the Bulldogs in scoring. Green scored 15 and Graves scored 11 in the second half.

During the second half the dawgs shot 60% from the field and hit 57.1% of their shots behind the 3 point arc (8 for 14). After the game WISH TV asked Mike Green what coach said at halftime. Green talked about how coach discussed the law of averages. It was clear the dawgs were going to make the shots, it was just a matter of time and that the law of averages caught up to them.

One thing I noticed during the second half was the ball control. The dawgs did an incredible job passing the ball. Zach Hahn at the end of the half showed amazing dibbling skills as he was able to keep the ball away from OSU defenders.

Campbell left the game during the second half. While the dawgs had possession he fill onto the court in front of the Butler bench (I was not watching him so I am not sure how he got onto the floor). From what I could tell he was holding one of his legs. This forced the officials to call a timeout. He was able to get off the floor and did not play during the rest of the half.

The dawgs begin league play next week and the first test of the Horizon League's Thursday/Saturday schedule. The dawgs will be at Detroit on Thursday and at Wright State on Saturday.