A 3-pointer from Purdue Fort Wayne's Marcus DeBerry pulled Ohio State within two points just four minutes into the game, and then the Buckeyes began to pull away.
With a 16-0 run early in the first half, Ohio State got out to a double-digit lead within less than 10 minutes and poured it on. The advantage stretched out to 20 points late in the first half, reached 30 less than 10 minutes into the second half and eventually got to 40 before the game ended with the Buckeyes winning, 85-46, on Friday at the Schottenstein Center.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| #10 OHIO STATE | 42 | 43 | 85 |
| PURDUE FORT WAYNE | 25 | 21 | 46 |
Five Buckeyes scored in double figures. They shot 53.4 percent from the field, while the Mastodons hit 31.5 percent of their shots.
Kaleb Wesson led the team with a season-best 15 points. He made 3-of-7 3-points and also grabbed seven rebounds. DJ Carton hit 5-of-17 shots, accumulating 13 points. CJ Walker scored a season-high 11 points and tossed three assists.
The Buckeyes scored 31 points off of 19 forced turnovers, while Purdue Fort Wayne managed just three points from nine Ohio State turnovers.
Coming off the bench to end the game, Justin Ahrens hit all three 3-point attempts to finish with nine points. Due to the blowout, every healthy and eligible player got at least five minutes. The Buckeyes got 40 points from the bench.
Andre Wesson came off the bench for the second game in a row since returning from an eye injury that he suffered in the season opener. He had four points and three rebounds in 16 minutes.
Next up: Ohio State faces Kent State in its only game of the season at St. John Arena on Monday. The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
Other Notes
- Even though Ohio State had Andre Wesson at its disposal, Chris Holtmann went with the same starting lineup he used in the prior three games: CJ Walker, Luther Muhammad, Duane Washington Jr., Kyle Young and Kaleb Wesson.
- Ohio State commit Meechie Johnson was in attendance for the game. The northeast Ohio native pledged to play for the Buckeyes on Aug. 13.
- Former Buckeye Michael Redd sat and watched the game from his usual seat on the baseline.
- Kaleb Wesson missed all four 3-point attempts in the first half. He responded by hitting a pair of triples in the first two minutes of the second half.
