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BOX SCORE
OSU moves on in BCA Classic
Sunday, November 12, 2006
COLUMBUS — Scoring isn't a problem for Ron Lewis or the other Ohio State men's basketball players. That means his focus is on defense, rebounding and settling young teammates.
The senior did all of that well as the No. 7-ranked Buckeyes earned an 87-75 win over Loyola of Chicago on Saturday night at the Schottenstein Center.
Extras
Lewis, a 6-foot-4 guard, had 27 points, 11 rebounds and three assists as 13,269 saw the Buckeyes advance to tonight's championship game of the Black Coaches Association Classic. Ohio State will face Kent State at 8:05 p.m.
"The only thing I really think that falls on me is leadership," Lewis said. "Just to keep everybody in tune and keep everybody focused on the next game and practice.
"Scoring is one of the things that I do, but everybody on the team can score."
Dunbar High School graduate Daequan Cook added 18 points, and Ivan Harris had 11. The Buckeyes built an early 32-15 lead and held off every Loyola rally despite Mike Conley and David Lighty sitting for long stretches because each had four fouls.
"I'm proud of the way we got out of the gates," OSU coach Thad Matta said. "I think that at times we show our youthfulness. Foul trouble got us a little bit. But certain guys stepped up and made big plays."
Key play
Ohio State cashed in from 3-point range (9-of-17), including many from the corners. Lewis hit 4-of-6, while Harris made 3-of-4 — all three makes in the game's last 10 minutes.
"That's what I love to do is shoot 3s," said Harris, who was 2-of-7 on 3s Friday. "Coach was telling me just take my time and the shots will fall for me."
Key player
Lewis' 27 points were his most as a Buckeye. He once scored 34 for Bowling Green against Urbana. Lewis hit 8-of-14 field goals and was 7-of-8 at the free-throw line. This was his first double-double for OSU.
Key stat
After being badly out-rebounded in the first half of Friday's game against VMI, OSU is a plus 24 in that category. Lewis had 11 rebounds Saturday, and Cook added nine.
"That's something we've been on Ron to do," Matta said. "For him to get 10 defensive rebounds was big for the team."
Quote
"Coach has always told me that I'm going to get shots. It's not about how many points I can score, it's who I can stop and how great I play defense."
— Cook, averaging 20 points and nine rebounds in two games.
Note
Walk-on guards Danny Peters (son of assistant Dan Peters) and Mark Titus (ex-team manager who played on Cook's AAU team) joined the OSU squad before the tournament.
