Bruce Thornton caps off his 33-point performance in the Buckeyes’ 103-83 win over Indiana State. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
Ohio Stated finishes non-conference play with a big second half against Indiana State and heads into Big Ten play with the momentum of consecutive 2o-point wins.
Columbus, OH – The tallest Buckeye and the shortest Buckeye walked into the postgame interview room together on Sunday.
There’s no punch line coming. They weren’t there to tell jokes. Just some serious talk about a basketball team developing togetherness, chemistry and enough depth to withstand injuries, sickness and off nights.
The production and presence provided by 6-foot Ques Glover and 7-1 Aaron Bradshaw off the Ohio State bench the past two games can’t be completely quantified on an analyst’s spreadsheet. A sub’s role goes beyond the numbers.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
“We just made a talking point for each other coming off the bench that we have to be a spark,” said Glover, who along with Bradshaw returned to the floor last Saturday against Kentucky after long absences. “And I feel like these last two games we’ve done that. We have to bring energy.”
The Buckeyes (9-4) needed some defensive spark Sunday against an Indiana State team feared and revered for its 3-point acumen and desire to play fast. Glover and Bradshaw helped on that end of the floor and the offensive end, too, in the Buckeyes’ 103-83 victory in their final nonconference game.
Glover, a senior transfer from Kansas State, played 26 minutes and scored 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting while making at least two difficult short fadeaway jumpers. And he had five assists – an ability that is a big thing for high-scoring point guard Bruce Thornton (more on that soon).
“What a vet to come out after being out as long as he was and perform the way he has,” head coach Jake Diebler said of Glover. “It speaks to his maturity, his poise.”
Diebler recruited Glover to be a second point guard on the floor with Thornton.
“When I committed here, he told me that he had a lot of faith in me, and he needed me to be a high assist guy and be able to get my teammates involved and just be a connector,” Glover said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to excel at.”
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And on Sunday, Glover and Thornton, especially, showed that chemistry is quickly forming between them. Glover’s presence sometimes allows Thornton to play off the ball and take advantage of his ability to make catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. Twice Glover found Thornton open for made threes.
They got a slow start learning the play together. Glover’s injury time (he played in his fourth game Saturday) limited his practice time. And even when he has practiced, he goes against Thornton more than he plays alongside him.
Ques Glover gets the bucket and the foul call from the official (foreground).
“These last couple of games being able to play with him has been crazy,” Glover said. “It makes the game so much easier because he can create shots, he can create shots for others, and I can do the same. It just opens up the court.”
As a scorer, Thornton has taken full advantage of Glover’s presence. He set a career high with 30 in the 20-point win over Kentucky. On Sunday, he set another career high with 33 points on 11 of 16 shooting (including 4 of 7 from three-point range) and made 7 of 8 free throws.
“He’s playing with great poise, he’s reading the game really well, and we’re also able to create for him, which has helped his efficiency and some of the opportunities he’s getting off the ball,” Diebler said.
Diebler’s primary message to Thornton after some losses has been to be aggressive early. Don’t wait until 10 minutes in or the second half to become a scorer. With so many other capable scorers around him, Thornton has taken that freedom and excelled in several games.
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As good as the offense flowed the entire game with a 52-point first half and a third game this season surpassing 100 points, there was a missing backcourt piece on defense that kept the Sycamores close in the first half.
Micah Parrish.
The 6-6 senior transfer from San Diego State who had started every game, was injured against Kentucky and wasn’t quite ready to play Sunday. Diebler said Parrish keeps the perimeter defense connected.
Evan Mahaffey closes out on a Sycamore three-point shot attempt in Sunday’s win at Value City Arena.
“He can guard multiple positions, and I thought we missed that,” Diebler said. “It took us some time to adjust from him not being out there.”
The Buckeyes struggled in the first half to cover ISU’s 3-point shooters and led only 52-47 at halftime. The Sycamores – fifth nationally in effective field-goal percentage, 12th overall at 50.5%, 12th in made 3-pointers at 11 a game – were often a step ahead of the Ohio State defense.
The Sycamores (8-5 and defending Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champions) made 9 of 20 3s in the first half and shot 53.6 percent overall. The Buckeyes were often late to help on the ball, therefore, costing them a step getting back to shooters to contest shots or make them pass.
“It was a big talking point in the locker room,” Glover said of halftime. “We locked in in the second half, limited some attempts, and also closed out closely and made them miss a few.”
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ISU made only 2 of 7 3-point shots in the second half and finished 10 of 28 and shot 42.6% overall for the game. With 11:15 left, freshman Colin White blocked a 3-point shot by Jahni Summers. That led to John Mobley Jr.’s alley-oop for a Bradshaw dunk and an 81-66 lead.
Not until Camp Wagner finally found some room to shoot with 8:59 left did the Sycamores finally make a 3-pointer in the second half after a 0-for-4 start.
Bradshaw, a sophomore transfer from Kentucky, had 13 points, three rebounds and a blocked shot in 17 minutes. He missed seven games while dealing with a legal issue. When he returned to the team he had to get in shape. Diebler worked with him after practices, but the progress was not immediate.
“The first workout didn’t last very long, and then it was about being intentional with the time we had on the court so we could see growth,” Diebler said.
Bradshaw, who said he never doubted he would be able to return to the team, missed being with his teammates during the suspension. But they didn’t forget about him.
Freshman Colin White rips a rebound away from a pair of ISU teammates in Sunday’s 103-83 Buckeyes win.
“I love my teammates,” he said. “They texted me, checked up on me, called me, came to my crib – everything just to make sure I was OK. And that’s all I really needed and just the comfort of my family.”
Diebler and his staff witnessed how Bradshaw was supported by his teammates during his personal trial.
“It validated that connection I felt like we had,” Diebler said. “I was proud of that as a coach, and we were able to assist in establishing that. But make no mistake, those guys led the way.”
Sparkplugs off the bench. Quality depth. Different players able to score big. Egos set aside. Diebler loves it and preaches it.
That’s why he was sure to mention Devin Royal’s determination to play Sunday. He’s been sick, but managed to start, play 20 minutes, grab four rebounds and score 13 
points.
All of the positives must continue to nurture each other as the gauntlet of 18 straight Big Ten games begins Friday night at home against Michigan State. Diebler has a list of what must continue to avoid the long conference losing streaks of the past two seasons that cost Chris Holtmann his job as head coach.
“Playing with great urgency, playing with toughness, playing together, those have to be staples for us,” Diebler said. “Does that guarantee that we’re going to run off 18 in a row? No. But if we do those things, it guarantees we are going to position ourselves to play well and compete in every single game.”
He wasn’t joking.
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