Deshaun Thomas scored 21 points – missing nine straight shots at one point and making five in a row at another – to lead No. 7 Ohio State past Winthrop 65-55 on Tuesday night.
It was the last tuneup for the Buckeyes (9-1) before Saturday’s rematch with No. 9 Kansas. The Jayhawks beat them twice last year, once at Allen Fieldhouse and then in the Final Four.
Whether Ohio State was looking past Winthrop (4-5) and ahead to Kansas, or whether the Eagles just played well and the Buckeyes did not, the game was in doubt until Thomas got hot.
Lenzelle Smith Jr. added 14 points for the Buckeyes, who have won four in a row, all at home, since a 73-68 defeat at No. 2 Duke on Nov. 28 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge – a game the Buckeyes led most of the way.
Thomas added nine rebounds and a career-high four assists.
Derrick Henry had 12 points to lead Winthrop, which was coming off a 50-49 upset of Ohio University, which has its top nine players back from an NCAA tournament team a year ago. Ohio came in averaging 74.2 points a game, but was shut down by the Eagles.
Thomas hit his first two shots of the night for a quick 5-0 lead, then missed the next nine.
Just as quickly, he changed directions again. He hit five shots in a row from the field – and scored 12 of 14 Ohio State points over a 5 1/2-minute span – as the Buckeyes took a 47-41 lead.
But the Eagles would not go away.
Henry made a 3 from the left wing to cut the gap to three. Thomas passed up a perimeter jumper with a nifty pass to Amir Williams for a three-point play only to have Gideon Gamble add a 3 at the other end to cut the lead to 52-47.
Defense finally turned the tide, fueling an 8-0 run.
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