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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The first time that Ohio States LaQuinton Ross took a shot, North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll knew it was going to be a long night.cheap jerseys . Ross broke out of a frigid shooting spell by scoring 17 points Friday night and the seventh-ranked Buckeyes rode a 19-point first-half run to a 99-64 victory over the overmatched Ospreys. "He hit that first 3 from the corner and I started thinking to myself, Oh, Lord. Here we go," said Driscoll, who has known Ross since he was in middle school. Ross hit 6-of-9 shots from the field and 4-of-7 3-pointers after struggling all year to find his range. The 6-foot-8 junior with a silky touch had a terrific run in the NCAA tournament a year ago, coming off the bench to give the Buckeyes instant offence on the way to the regional championship game. This year he was expected to replace departed Big Ten scoring leader Deshaun Thomas, but came in shooting just 22 per cent from the field and averaging 6.2 points a game. Over the last the three games he was only 2 for 20 from the field including 1 for 8 behind the arc. But he came out cool and confident against the Ospreys. He hit all four shots from the field -- including both 3-pointers -- while picking up 10 points in the opening half as Ohio State built a 48-29 lead. Buckeyes coach Thad Matta couldnt have been happier to see the ice thaw on Ross jumper. "LaQuinton got into a little bit of a groove," he said. "He and I talked the other day. I just said, Look, we cant make shots for you. We cant think for you out there on the court. I told him we were going to put him in positions to be successful. He was probably humbled a little bit the way hes shot the ball the last few games. It was great to see the ball go in for him." From watching Ross on video, Driscoll said it appeared he was unsure of everything. "Sometimes when you watch him on tape, it looks like he might not be locked in, like he might not be sure what his role is, what shot he should take," he said. "Is it a good shot? Is it a bad shot? Am I (a guard)? Am I (a forward)? Should I go to the (NBA) early? Should I come back? To his credit, for some reason, he seemed to be locked in." Ross hot shooting carried over to the rest of the Buckeyes, too. They came in shooting 42 per cent on the season but shot 69 per cent against North Florida-- the sixth-best shooting percentage in program history. Amir Williams and Amedeo Della each hit career highs for the Buckeyes (6-0), with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Aaron Craft added 16 points, making his first 3-pointer of the season, while Lenzelle Smith Jr. had 10. "When guys see other guys make shots, it boosts everyones confidence," Smith said. "It makes everybody think, Why cant I be the guy to make the next shot? That stuff catches on fire and guys start swinging the ball and getting wide-open shots." Beau Beech and Dallas Moore each had 14 points and Charles McRoy 11 for North Florida (4-4), which fell to 0-16 against ranked teams and 0-6 against teams in the Top 10. The Buckeyes made their first eight shots from the field while overcoming a 6-5 deficit with a 19-0 run to take the lead for good. Craft had three layups, Williams and Smith Jr. each had five points and Ross hit a 3 in the spurt. North Florida came back to score 14 of the next 18 -- Beech hit two 3s and Davenport added one -- to cut the lead to 28-20. But the Buckeyes led 48-29 at the break and then scored 11 of the first 13 points in the second half with Ross scoring four early points. It was the 100th collegiate win for Craft and Smith Jr., who reached that figure in 119 games -- faster than any Ohio State player. "As I told the guys at shootaround, this game today was about getting those two guys their 100th win," Matta said. "If you stop and think about how quick they got there -- 119 games to get 100 wins -- its amazing. And Ive never been prouder of two guys." nfl jerseys china . - Gaston Fernandez is making the most of his new job with the Portland Timbers. jerseys from china . Play hard, play tough and play rough. The philosophy has been a lesson in frustration for opponents.The Houston Rockets will try to even their Western Conference quarterfinal series with the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night when the teams play Game 2 at the Toyota Center. Portland snatched Game 1, 122-120, in overtime on Sunday night in Houston thanks to amazing heroics from its two All-Stars. Damian Lillard finished with 31 points, nine rebounds and five assists and LaMarcus Aldridge turned in a monster performance with 46 points and 18 rebounds before fouling out in the extra session. Aldridges 46 points set a Blazers franchise record for points in a postseason game. Down nine with less than five minutes to go in regulation, the Blazers employed the "hack-a-Howard" strategy. Dwight Howard, a 54.7-percent foul shooter, made his first two attempts, but missed the next four as the Blazers rallied with the next 11 points to tie the game on Aldridges two from the line with 2:46 left. James Harden got a tough jumper to fall just inside the final minute of regulation for a 102-99 lead and Aldridge cut it to one with a pair of free throws 13 seconds later. Jeremy Lin missed a runner on the other end, but Howard grabbed the rebound and was fouled. This time, Howard came through for his team and knocked down both free throws for a 104-101 edge. Lillard, however, buried a game-tying trey. On the inbounds pass, Lillard ran his defender Patrick Beverley into a brutal screen which sent him to the deck. Lillard then got Terrance Jones to bite on a pump fake before knocking down the triple. After Harden made it 106-104 with seven seconds left, Wesley Matthews attempted a three from the time out, but it drew iron. Lillard was there for the rebound, but his tip-in didnt fall. AAldridge, though, cleaned up that miss and tied the game again with 2. cheap nfl jerseys. 9 seconds left. Harden couldnt get a tough look from the corner to go as the horn sounded, sending the game into overtime. The Rockets scored the first six points of the bonus period thanks to three- point plays from Howard and Lin. Aldridge and Nicolas Batum, though, hit back- to-back treys and Matthews knocked down two free throws to give the Blazers their first lead since late in the first half. The teams traded blows until Lin blew by his defender and got a layup to fall for a 118-116 lead with 53 seconds left. Lillard, however, used a three-point play on the ensuing trip to put Portland in front. Garcia and Howard split from the stripe before Lillard made the go-ahead free throws. "That was a tremendous game. Obviously when we fouled Dwight he missed some of the free throws, that was a turning point," said Blazers coach Terry Stotts. "They came out and scored the first six in OT, but we responded. We had to win one here, we did it, but were not satisfied. Tonight is behind us, we have to keep going." Howard and Harden both finished with 27 points while Howard pulled down 15 rebounds. Chandler Parsons added 24 and Lin chipped in 14 off the bench. Jones registered a double-double with 12 points and 13 boards. Beverley injured his knee, but it wasnt as bad as originally diagnosed. Hes expected to play Wednesday night. "Woke up at home, tried to put some weight on it, felt good. Squatted and felt good, one-legged jump felt good," said Beverley. "I did this all at home. I just have an ability to heal quicker than others I guess." Game 3 will be Friday night in Portland. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys' ' ' |
