The Big 3 Era has passed, but if Ohio State had one, it might feature Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr. and Christoph Tilly. At least, the trio looked the part on a November Friday in Columbus.
Bruce Thornton (career-high 38 points), John Mobley Jr. (19 points) and Christoph Tilly (15 points) combined for 72 points as Ohio State secured a 94-68 win over Purdue Fort Wayne and improved to 2-0 this season.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| PURDUE FORT WAYNE | 30 | 38 | 68 |
| OHIO STATE | 45 | 49 | 94 |
Ohio State never trailed Purdue Fort Wayne, as Thornton opened the scoring with a 10-foot fadeaway, and the Buckeyes never looked back.
The Buckeyes blitzed the Mastodons from the jump, shooting out to a 7-0 lead — figuratively and literally. Following Thornton’s fadeaway, Mobley drilled a 3-pointer and Tilly added a layup. While a basket from Mikale Stevenson ended Ohio State’s opening run, Thornton, Mobley and Tilly continued to fuel the Buckeyes’ surge, combining for the team’s next 23 points while extending the lead to 30-14 by the 10-minute mark.
| PURDUE FORT WAYNE | STAT | OHIO STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 68 | POINTS | 94 |
| 26-59 (44%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 34-51 (67%) |
| 5-22 (23%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 16-28 (57%) |
| 11-17 (65%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 10-13 (77%) |
| 13 | TURNOVERS | 19 |
| 17 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 33 |
| 7 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 4 |
| 10 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 29 |
| 11 | BENCH POINTS | 12 |
| 3 | BLOCKS | 0 |
| 11 | STEALS | 5 |
| 9 | ASSISTS | 22 |
Amare Bynum became the first Buckeye outside of that trio to score, splitting a pair of free throws at the 8:33 mark. Between then and halftime, Ohio State stalled offensively, committing several unforced turnovers. Still, the Buckeyes regrouped, as Tilly added a layup, Brandon Noel threw down a dunk, Mobley hit another 3-pointer, and Thornton scored twice inside and had an old-fashioned three-point play to give Jake Diebler’s team a 45-30 halftime lead.
Thornton (19), Mobley (14), and Tilly (nine) combined for 42 of Ohio State’s 45 first-half points. As a team, the Buckeyes shot 18-for-29 from the field (62.9%) and 7-for-16 (43.8%) from beyond the arc while collecting 18 rebounds and 10 assists in the opening 20 minutes. They turned the ball over nine times.
Purdue Fort Wayne opened the second half with possession, and Darius Duffy immediately scored. While Tilly and Thornton did their best to keep Ohio State on track, the Buckeyes hit the same speed bumps that slowed them in the first half, committing five turnovers in as many minutes and allowing the Mastodons to trim the lead to nine, 55-46.
Following an Ohio State 30-second timeout, Thornton (13), Mobley (five) and Devin Royal (six) combined to score the team's next 24 points over the next eight minutes as Ohio State took a commanding 80-62 lead at 5:00. From there, the Buckeyes cruised to their 94-68 win, their second of the season.
