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When a team shoots as well as Ohio State did on Tuesday night, it's hard to beat them.
The Buckeyes shot 66 percent from the field including 8-15 from 3-point range. OSU turned the ball over 13 times in the first half and allowed Marquette to hang in, but the consistent shooting and easy buckets cost MU, as the Buckeyes won by the tune of 74-63.
The long ball was the story of the first half.
In the first 10 minutes, Marquette shot a mere 25 percent from beyond the arc, while Ohio State went 7-12. After makes, Ohio State applied a half-court press that led to some confusion on the offensive end for Marquette. Once Marquette got in their half-court offense, it was able to get a couple of good looks down low. Steve Taylor Jr. powered Marquette in the paint scoring 20 points on 9-14 shooting from the field. MU was able to find holes in the Buckeye zone for quite a few easy buckets.
But for every easy Taylor basket it seemed like Ohio State got right back. Quickly.
There were numerous occasions where Golden Eagles didn't get back on the defensive end and giving up easy dunks and layups in transition. While those plays certainly didn't help Marquette, this game just came down to shooting. OSU did get quite a few open looks and they took full advantage. Especially Kam Williams in the second half. The freshman guard went 6-8 from the field and 3-4 from behind the arc and was the main reason why Ohio State was able to pull away.
Marquette has only nine players currently available, but fatigue didn't seem to be a problem. A lack of clutch scoring and outside shooting plagued the Golden Eagles. Deonte Burton, who was expected to be one of MU's best scorers, was held to two points. JuJuan Johnson started off well with two buckets early on, but then didn't hit anything for the rest of the way. Matt Carlino struggled from the field as well, leaving not much offense to go around for Marquette.
The same couldn't be said for Ohio State. Everything seemed to fall en route to having four players in double figures led by Williams.
Despite the height issue facing Marquette, it actually rebounded pretty well. That is expected to get even better when Luke Fischer becomes eligible later this season.
Marquette will go home and play the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks on November 22, as it looks to get a couple wins before heading to Florida for the Orlando Classic.