This weekend, the Ohio State football Buckeyes did not get to play, but the men’s basketball team did get to mix it up as they hosted the UMass Lowell River Hawks not at the Schottenstein Center, not at St. John Arena, but — for the first time ever — at the Covelli Center.
Perhaps it was the fact that UMass Lowell played in the venue against Illinois State on Saturday, but the Buckeyes did not look comfortable in their “home” arena. Tied at 33 at halftime, the Red Hawks ran out to a 50-45 lead, but thanks to a 9-0 run for OSU in middle of the second half — aided by a Justice Sueing fastbreak which also involved a UMass Lowell technical foul — Chris Holtmann’s reconfigured roster took control of the game before eventually holding on for the 74-64 victory.