COLUMBUS, Ohio — Devin Royal made a significant impact during Tuesday night’s game, scoring 20 points and securing 12 rebounds as Ohio State triumphed over Evansville with a commanding 80-30 victory.

At halftime, Ohio State held a modest 28-14 lead, but they exploded offensively in the second half, tallying 52 points. Meanwhile, Evansville struggled immensely, recording only 13 points during the first 13 minutes after the break, which allowed Ohio State to extend their advantage to 59-27 at one point. The Buckeyes’ largest lead during the game reached a staggering 50 points.

Evansville encountered issues early on, starting the game by hitting just 2 of their first 17 attempts and failing to score on 13 consecutive shots across the halftime break. In the first half, Royal contributed 10 points and eight rebounds, and in the second half, both he and Meechie Johnson Jr. added another 10 points each, helping the team dominate, while their opponents managed only 16 points.

Johnson finished with a total of 13 points, and John Mobley Jr. chipped in with 11 for Ohio State, which improved its record to 3-1 after recently suffering a 78-64 defeat against No. 23 Texas A&M. The Buckeyes demonstrated their dominance on the boards, out-rebounding Evansville 48-28.

On the other side, Gabriel Pozzato led Evansville with eight points. The Purple Aces completed the game with a dismal shooting performance, converting only 11 of 58 attempts from the field (19%) and hitting just 2 of 27 from beyond the arc (11%).

With this win, Ohio State has now won 11 out of 12 matchups against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference. The Buckeyes are set to face Valparaiso and Indiana State later in December.

Ohio State is in the midst of a four-game homestand and will play their next match against Campbell on Friday. Meanwhile, Evansville, which has concluded its matchups with Power Four teams for the season, will host Green Bay on the same day.