Ohio State gets its first home test of the season Friday night when Youngstown State comes to Columbus for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff at the Schottenstein Center.
The Buckeyes are coming off a 94-83 loss to No. 25 BYU on Monday night in Salt Lake City, but there were plenty of bright spots in Jake Diebler’s third full season as head coach.
Forward Amare Bynum led Ohio State with 20 points, four assists and three rebounds, matching his career best in points, assists and made 3-pointers with three. Guard John Mobley Jr. added 14 points and seven assists while going 2 of 5 from beyond the arc.
Two newcomers also made immediate impacts in their Ohio State debuts. Andrija Jelavic, the Kentucky transfer, scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds in just 19 minutes. Justin Pippen, the California transfer, finished with 12 points.
The concern from the opener was on the defensive end, where Ohio State allowed 60 second-half points to BYU. That’s the most points the Buckeyes have given up in a half since a game against Penn State in 1998.
Youngstown State arrives with momentum after opening its season with a 79-71 win at St. Bonaventure.
The Penguins shot 38 percent from three-point range and won the battle on the glass, 47-38. Linus Holmstrom, a native of Sweden, paced them with 26 points and eight rebounds, knocking down 6 of 13 from deep.
Kelvin Amoako posted 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Jeff Nwankwo chipped in 11 points.
The game will be webcast on the BTN-Plus premium streaming platform, and Ohio State has one more regular-season BTN-Plus game scheduled for Nov. 16 against Prairie View A&M. Fans in Central Ohio can also buy tickets, and OSU students are invited to attend for free.
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