Dec. 20, 1997

Trojans Fall to Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Freshman sensation Michael Redd scored a career high 30 points and fellow newcomer John Sanderson chipped in 15 as Ohio State topped Southern California 79-73 in St. John Arena Saturday afternoon. The Buckeyes improved to 6-3 on the year, while the Trojans fell to 4-3.

The Ohio State guards overcame tenacious full-court pressure from USC to hold on down the stretch. A powerful two-handed dunk by Ken Johnson put the Buckeyes up by 11 with just over four minutes to play in the game, but Trojan forward Adam Spanich answered with two three-pointers in less than a minute. USC pulled within two on a three from Gary Johnson with :74 seconds to play, but the Buckeyes nailed five-of-six free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.

Southern California threw up 33 shots from behind the three-point arc, connecting on 13. Spanich led the Trojans with 21 points. Ohio State seemed to break out of an early-season free-throw shooting slump, hitting 19-of-27 in the game including 15-of-21 in a tight second half. Johnson added 10 points for OSU. Carlos Davis led the Buckeyes in both rebounds (10) and assists (6). Ohio State took a 6-5 lead on a three-footer by Sanderson two and a half minutes into the game, and never trailed again. The Buckeyes held a 36-30 advantage at the intermission.

The Buckeyes will be back in action Monday, Dec. 22 in St. John Arena when they host Tennessee-Chattanooga at 8:00 p.m.