Skip to main content

OSU’s Thornton and Battle earn All-Big Ten recognition

The Highland County Press - Staff Photo - Create Article
Bruce Thornton, left, and Jamison Battle. (Ohio State University photos)
By
Ohio State University, Press Release

Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton and Jamison Battle have both earned All-Big Ten recognition for the 2023-24 men’s basketball season. Thornton earned third-team honors by the media and honorable mention honors by the coaches. Battle was named honorable mention by both the coaches and the media.

Thornton led the Buckeyes in scoring through the regular season at 16.1 ppg, which was 11th in the conference. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.46 is tops in the conference and eighth nationally. 

The Fairburn, Ga., native is looking to become just the third Buckeye to have more than 100 assists and less than 50 turnovers in a season. This is the first All-Big Ten honor of his career. He earned Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors last year as a freshman.

For Battle, this is his second time being named All-Big Ten honorable mention as he earned the award in 2022 as a junior at Minnesota. Battle finished the regular season second in the Big Ten with 81 three-point field goals. That number is currently eighth in a single season in Ohio State history. 

Battle is also one of the most accurate three-point shooters in the country as his career-best 44.0 percent leads the league and is seventh nationally. He is second on the team in scoring at 14.4 ppg and has knocked-down 56-of-59 free throw attempts on the year.

Senior walk-on Owen Spencer is Ohio State’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree. The Cincinnati, Ohio native battled a foot injury at the start of the season and made his season debut on senior night against Michigan. He also made his first collegiate start in that game and played against Rutgers in the regular season finale last Sunday. Spencer is going to complete his biology degree this spring and will eventually go to med school to become a pediatric heart surgeon.

The Buckeyes finished tied for ninth in the Big Ten this season at 9-11 and will open the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday evening against Iowa at 6:30 p.m. ET.


Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.