Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell had a dream first-half against the Northwestern Wildcats, leading the Buckeyes to a 51-39 halftime lead.
Liddell did it all in the first half. He shot 8-of-11 from the field, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range to head to the locker room with 21 points in the first 20 minutes. Not only did Liddell fill it up, but he also pulled down three rebounds, blocked four shots, and tallied two assists.
Backing Lidell up with double digits of his own was guard Malaki Brahnham with 13 points of his own on 4-of-5 shooting.
However, it wasn’t all good news. As well as OSU has been on the offensive end, shooting 66.7% as a team, the defensive effort on the boards could pick up, and the turnovers cut down on. The Buckeyes have been far too charitable, giving the ball away eight times and allowing nine offensive rebounds to still stay within striking distance.
Now that’s what we call a good start
OSU 51 | NU 39 | 1H#GoBucks | #Team123 pic.twitter.com/moZL209XyY
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) January 9, 2022
Games aren’t won in first halves alone, and there’s bound to be a drop in shooting percentage for Ohio State. The Buckeyes will need to finish the deal with effort and execution across the board to get back in the winning column.
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