Despite an already thin roster short two additional key pieces, Ohio State gave all appearances of rolling to a victory over lowly Penn State in the first half. But things didn't stay as easy for the Buckeyes.
The Nittany Lions pulled all the way back to within a single point after trailing by 18 at halftime. But Ohio State (14-6, 6-4 Big Ten) regained its separation thanks to a crucial string of points from John Mobley Jr. to secure an 84-78 win over Penn State (9-11, 0-9), who remains winless in Big Ten play.
Starting center Christoph Tilly and sixth man Gabe Cupps were out for the Buckeyes in addition to power forward Brandon Noel's long-term foot injury.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| PENN STATE | 32 | 46 | 78 |
| OHIO STATE | 50 | 34 | 84 |
Mobley continued his fantastic month of January with a 25-point outing, shooting 5-of-11 from three and adding five assists. Amare Bynum and Devin Royal were next in the scoring column with 15 and 14 points. Bruce Thornton had a quieter evening by his standards, scoring just nine points but dishing out five assists.
Taison Chatman was a revelation off the bench for Ohio State, scoring a career-high 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. He showed some smooth passing, though he finished with only one assist.
Guard Eli Rice led the way for the Nittany Lions, racking up 20 points and shooting 6-of-11 from 3-point range.
First Half
| PENN STATE | STAT | OHIO STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 78 | POINTS | 84 |
| 25-50 (50%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 30-54 (55.6%) |
| 10-25 (40%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 8-23 (34.8%) |
| 18-21 (85.7%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 16-21 (76.2%) |
| 18 | TURNOVERS | 9 |
| 31 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 21 |
| 9 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 5 |
| 22 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 16 |
| 21 | BENCH POINTS | 13 |
| 2 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 3 | STEALS | 9 |
| 12 | ASSISTS | 14 |
The Buckeyes' 66.7% mark from the field exemplifies just how dominant their first half was against the Nittany Lions. They shot 6-of-11 (54.5%) from three to boot.
Mobley and Royal got things going in the early stretches for Ohio State, the former with a smooth turnaround fadeaway jumper and a 3-pointer, and the latter with two drives to finish at the basket. The second of Royal's makes made it 11-7 Buckeyes five minutes into the action.
Penn State cut the deficit back to two on a second-chance bucket, but then Thornton hit a 3-pointer to catalyze a 14-2 run fueled by Ohio State's bench. Chatman led the way with a 3-pointer and a smooth transition floater, those five points already being the most he's scored against a Big Ten opponent in his three-year career. Small forward Puff Johnson, playing against his former team, grabbed an offensive rebound and stuck it back through a foul. Mobley added a deep triple, and the lead was 25-11.
Bynum got to work to maintain that advantage, finishing two layups through contact with expert touch. He also dished out an assist to Chatman, who secured a two-handed flush on a well-timed cut. A Royal 3-pointer pushed the edge back to 36-23 for Ohio State as the first-half clock wound under three minutes, then a third-chance 3-pointer by Mobley made it 39-26 with a tad over two minutes left.
Bynum hit an open midrange jumper, then collected a steal and went coast-to-coast for an and-one layup and converted the ensuing free throw to hand the Buckeyes their largest lead yet at 44-28, which Mobley extended to 46-28 on two free throws.
A massive alley-oop from Thornton to Bynum and a last-second floater from Thornton ensured Ohio State carried a 50-32 lead into the locker room.
Second Half
Penn State came out of intermission hot, opening the second half 4-of-4 from the field and sparking a 7-0 run that cut the Ohio State advantage down to 54-44. Of all players, it was sophomore center Ivan Njegovan who kept the Buckeyes ahead by double-digits, scoring their first eight points of the period.
But soon, Rice nailed a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc, and a fast-break layup from Nittany Lion guard Freddie Dilione V pulled Penn State back within seven points for the first time since 11:53 remained in the first half. Another Rice triple made it a four-point ballgame before Thornton stopped the bleeding at last with a layup through a foul.
It turned out to be a temporary bandage. Two PSU free throws and a circus and-one floater by forward Josh Reed brought Ohio State's once 18-point edge all the way down to a single point.
Mobley finally had an answer. He sank two free throws before crossing over into a pull-up three for a personal 5-0 run, then Thornton aided the effort with a floater in the lane. Two minutes later, Mobley cashed another triple to push the lead back to double-digits at 74-63. Penn State fought back to within seven before Thornton found Bynum for the duo's second alley-oop connection and Chatman rolled home a midrange pull-up to push the lead back to nine twice more.
Another Mobley jumper performed the same exchange from a seven to nine-point lead for Ohio State, making it 80-71 with 2:44 to play. Rice hit a 3-pointer to pull his team within four points again, but with just 24 seconds left, it was for naught.
What's Next?
Ohio State heads to Madison to take on Wisconsin at 2 p.m. Saturday. FOX will carry the television broadcast.
Game Notes
- Njegovan made his first career start in place of the injured Tilly against Penn State. He played 20 minutes and scored eight points with three rebounds and two blocked shots. He also fouled out with three minutes remaining.
- With Cupps out, the first man in off the bench squad was the sixth-year senior Johnson, who made just his second appearance for Ohio State since getting a temporary restraining order granting him eligibility.
- The Buckeyes' nine first-half bench points were already more than in any of their previous four games.
- Ohio State improved to 46-22 all-time vs. Penn State.
