The Ohio State Buckeyes (19-11, 11-8) continued their momentum from the win over Purdue, going to Happy Valley and taking down the Penn State Nittany Lions (12-18, 3-16) 94-62 to start the most important week of the season strong.
The Buckeyes started strong on the road, going up 7-0 early, but Penn State was able to force three early turnovers and answer the run by going on an 8-0 run of its own, forcing an Ohio State timeout and taking an 8-7 lead.
Then, Ohio State answered with one of its biggest
runs of the season, going on a 26-3 run to take a 33-11 lead and 36-13 lead. The Buckeyes started 7-for-13 from the field, while Penn State was just 2-for-13.
At one point, Ohio State led by as much as 43-15. Penn State closed the half on a 7-2 run to cut into the Buckeye lead a little, but an Amare Bynum layup gave Ohio State a 45-21 lead at the half.
After the first 20 minutes, John Mobley Jr. and Bruce Thornton led the way, combining for 22 points. Mobley had 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from three-point range, and Thornton had 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and no turnovers.
Melih Tunca and Ivan Juric recorded seven points each for Penn State heading into the locker room.
Ohio State was 18-for-29 from the field in the opening half, while Penn State was an abysmal 4-for-22. The Buckeyes had six turnovers, but four of them came in the first eight minutes, so they were able to control the ball and the game for the last 12 minutes of the half.
Penn State got the scoring going in the second half with a Freddie Dilione three-pointer, but Devin Royal answered with a three of his own for Ohio State. Dominick Stewart knocked down a three-pointer for Penn State to answer Ohio State’s answer.
The Buckeyes never let their foot off the gas and held serve in this one, keeping a 30-point lead for the rest of the second half, securing a 94-62 win.
John Mobley finished the game as the leading scorer, recording 28 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the field and 8-for-9 from three-point range. Bruce Thornton added 18 points and is now 12 points away from becoming Ohio State’s all-time leading scorer.
Here are the moments that mattered in the Buckeyes blowout win at Penn State:
Penn State answers the opening Ohio State run
The Buckeyes jumped out early with a quick 7-0 run, but Penn State was able to force three early turnovers and answer the run by going on an 8-0 run of its own, forcing an Ohio State timeout and taking an 8-7 lead.
Ohio State goes on a 26-3 run
Basketball is a game of runs as the first couple of minutes of this one proved, but Ohio State went on an early run that would prove to be all the need as a 26-3 run saw them go up 33-11 and never let the door back open for Penn State.
Bruce Thornton gets going
Thornton is known for starting slow on the offensive end and getting into the flow of the game, but he scored seven of 10 points for the Buckeyes in the middle of the 26-3 run to push the lead out to 20 points. Thornton was 4-for-5 from the field with 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 0 turnovers in the first half.
Mobley picks up where he left off
After scoring 21 points and knocking down five three-pointers against Purdue, John Mobley Jr. missed his first attempt of the game and then went 4-for-4 from deep in the first half to have 12 points. He finished with 28 on 8-for-9 shooting from deep.
The dynamic duo starts strong again
John Mobley Jr. and Bruce Thornton led the way, combining for 22 points. Mobley had 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from three-point range, and Thornton had 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and no turnovers.
Back to back three’s make it a 30-point lead
Penn State came out of the half showing some fight, but back-to-back three-pointers from Amare Bynum and John Mobley made the score 60-31 and gave the Buckeyes their largest lead of the game.
Mobley puts the stamp on this one
Pretty much anytime the Nittany Lions made a basket or went on a run, it was answered by a Mobley three-pointer. He finished the game with 28 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the field and 8-for-9 from three-point range.
