COLUMBUS, Ohio — Roddy Gayle Jr. and Jamison Battle scored 13 points apiece to lead Ohio State to a 73-52 victory over Western Michigan on Sunday in a campus game of the Emerald Coast Classic.
Gayle sank 6 of 9 shots with a 3-pointer for the Buckeyes (3-1), adding eight rebounds. Battle made 5 of 12 shots with three 3-pointers. Bruce Thornton pitched in with 12 points, five assists and three steals. Zed Key and Dale Bonner both came off the bench to score 11.
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Gayle had nine points and five rebounds in the first half and Ohio State took a 41-21 lead into the locker room.
Seth Hubbard led the Broncos (0-4) with 24 points on 10-for-18 shooting, including 4 of 9 from 3-point range. The rest of the Broncos made 13 of 44 shots overall and 3 of 17 from distance.
The Buckeyes shot 46.8% from the floor and made 10 of 25 from distance.
Ohio State and Western Michigan met for the first time since 1988. Ohio State leads the all-time series 4-0 with the Buckeyes winning three straight from 1986-88, including one at Western Michigan. The Buckeyes are 61-13 all time against teams from the Mid-American Conference.
The two schools head to Niceville, Florida, as the Classic gathers at one site. The Broncos will play Southeastern Louisiana Friday afternoon, while Ohio State will play Alabama later that evening.
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