#4 Ohio State 87 , Loyola of Chicago 75 (Final)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

79-62......4:30 left.

Cook with 20 points.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

81-71...2:20 left.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

83-73...1:23

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

85-73.....

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

87-75......

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Pictures from the game....

Ohio State's Daequan Cook, right, tries to dribble past Loyola of Chicago's Tracy Robinson during the first half of a BCA Classic college basketball game Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio.



Ohio State's David Lighty, left, takes a shot as Loyola of Chicago's Majak Kou defends during the first half of a BCA Classic college basketball game Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio.
(AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)


Ohio State's Mike Conley, left, drives the baseline against Loyola of Chicago's Leon Young during the first half of a BCA Classic college basketball game Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio.
(AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)


Loyola of Chicago's Blake Schilb, right, looks for an open pass as Ohio State's David Lighty defends during the first half of a BCA Classic college basketball game Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio.
(AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ESPN.com

Ohio State 87, Loyola (IL) 75

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ron Lewis scored the first seven points of each half for No. 7 Ohio State, finishing with 27 to lead the Buckeyes to an 87-75 victory over Loyola of Chicago on Saturday night in the BCA Classic.


Ohio State (2-0) will face upstate neighbor Kent State (2-0) in the championship game Sunday night. The Golden Flashes beat IUPUI 81-74.


Lewis topped his previous Ohio State best of 26 points set against Penn State last season. He scored 34 points in the 2003-04 season opener for Bowling Green.


Lewis also had 11 rebounds and three assists. He was 8-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-6 3-pointers, and also made all but one of his eight free throws.


Daequan Cook, coming a 22-point game the night before in his freshman debut, added 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Ivan Harris had 11 points.


Blake Schilb had 19 points, J.R. Blount 15, Leon Young 12 and Majak Kou 11 for the Ramblers (1-1).


Loyola of Chicago figured to provide a lot of problems for the young Buckeyes, who start two freshmen and a junior-college transfer. The Ramblers had all five starters back from a 19-11 season. They are favored to win the Horizon League, just like the Buckeyes were picked to top the Big Ten -- based mostly on the presence of the injured Greg Oden.


Oden, a dominating 7-foot freshman center, is still recuperating after right wrist surgery. He is expected to be out until Jan. 1. Oden spent much of the game sitting on the bench, a towel draped over his head while he wore a scarlet-and-gray brace on his wrist.


In Friday's 107-69 opening-round win over VMI, the Buckeyes were almost forced to keep up with the fullcourt-pressing, fast-breaking Keydets.

Against Loyola, Ohio State's defense set the pace.


The Buckeyes built a lead by harassing the Ramblers' perimeter players, picking up points in transition and hitting their own open shots.


Lewis had 16 points at the half -- including the first seven in a 12-4 burst to start the game -- as Ohio State went up 44-29 at the break.


He started the same way in the second half -- his fast-break layup off a blind, backwards pass by Mike Conley Jr. putting the Buckeyes up 51-33.


The lead never fell below 10 points again.


The Buckeyes hit 59 percent of their shots in the second half and finished at 52 percent. They held a 39-30 edge on the boards.


The crowd was late-arriving, due in large part to a vast majority staying at home to watch the conclusion of the top-ranked football team's 54-10 victory over Northwestern. That set up a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown against rival Michigan next week a few hundred yards away at Ohio Stadium.