Written by David Regimbal

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The No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes improved to 6-1 on the season after destroying the Long Beach State 49ers 89-55 Saturday afternoon.

Deshaun Thomas led all scorers with 18 points, going seven of 16 from the floor in 28 minutes of action. LaQuinton Ross continued his impressive play against the 49ers, shooting 50 percent from the field on his way to scoring 16 points.

Ohio State coach Thad Matta knows how important it is for his team to find scoring options outside of Thomas, "As you look across the board in college basketball and as you get into conference play, the Big Ten defensively is as good as there is in the country,” Matta said. “Just having different guys out there that can knock shots down is something that is going to be advantageous."

The Buckeyes shot 47 percent from the floor while holding the 49ers to just 31 percent.

Four Buckeyes players scored in double figures as Lenzelle Smith, Jr. hit three 3-points on his way to 14 points while Sam Thompson chipped in 13.

Midway through the first half, Ohio State was struggling. The Buckeyes were failing to hit shots as they led just 16-13 with 10 minutes until intermission.

Ohio State ripped off a 9-0 run to push its lead to 12, then ended the half on a 12-4 run to enter the locker room with a 39-25 lead at the break.

The Buckeyes started the second half with back-to-back baskets that forced 49ers coach Dan Monson to call a timeout. Monson was furious with his team, who had played the Buckeyes tough for most of the first half.

"This game was over one minute into the second half. To me, that's where [my] team has got to grow,” Monson said. “It is a bad basketball team, but it doesn't have to be. We have better players than what we played today. That's something that we've got to, we have to play better."

Long Beach State has already played North Carolina, Arizona and Syracuse this year, but Monson thinks Ohio State is the better than anyone they’ve played this year in one specific area, "I think Ohio State is the best defensive team," Monson said. "When you get in those big games like that, the defense usually overrides the offense. And I really like Ohio State is balanced, and yet they have a go-to guy. Thomas can go get a basket anytime he wants and then they have other guys."

Who’s Next?

The Buckeyes host Savannah State this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. EST. The game will be televised by the Big Ten Network.

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