High Point MBB Falls at No. 11/13 Ohio State, 82-64

• High Point dropped an 82-64 decision at No. 11/13 Ohio State
• Junior Ricky Madison led HPU with 12 points and eight rebounds
• HPU hosts Washington College (Md.) on Jan. 2

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The High Point University men’s basketball team battled tough in the first half, but fell at No. 11/13 Ohio State, 82-64, Saturday afternoon (Dec. 29) at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The Buckeyes (12-1) scored the first eight points of the second half to open up a 17-point advantage at 45-28. In the middle of the second half, the Panthers (6-7) used a 6-0 run to close the gap to 15 at 62-47 with 8:13 remaining, but that was as close as they would come.

High Point was outshot by Ohio State, 55.6 percent (30-54) to 44.4 percent (24-54). The Panthers out-rebounded the Buckeyes, 36-27, but committed more turnovers, 17-11.

“When you come in and play against a good and ranked opponent like Ohio State, you have to be very efficient, and for the most part, we were in the first half,” HPU head coach Tubby Smith said. “We did some good things, but a flurry of turnovers and bad shots at the end of the first half created some momentum for Ohio State and they took advantage of it. They are very well coached and organized and I thought we didn’t do a good job defensively in the second half.”

Junior Ricky Madison led HPU with 12 points and eight rebounds, while freshman Curtis Holland III added 11 points. Redshirt freshman Caden Sanchez, returning to his hometown of Columbus, tied his season high with seven points, while freshman Rob Peterson scored a season-high seven.

The Panthers were down 14-6 early on, but went on a 16-2 run to take an 22-16 lead with 7:31 left in the 1st. The Buckeyes countered with an 19-2 run of their own and ended up going into the halftime break leading, 37-28. HPU committed 12 turnovers, but was able to stay in the game by shooting 52 percent in the first frame (13-25).

The Buckeyes had four players in double figures and were led by C.J. Jackson, who led all scorers with 20 points.

Up next, the Panthers open the new year at home against Washington College (Md.) on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. Tip-off at the Millis Center is set for 7 p.m.