STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – EJ Liddell scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half and Ohio State’s No. 4 beat Penn State by 92-82 on Thursday night.
Duane Washington scored 21 points and CJ Walker added 13 to the Buckeyes (18-4, 12-4 Big Ten), who used a 15-0 run in the second half to take control and win their seventh straight time.
Myreon Jones led Penn State with 18 points. Izaiah Brockington and Seth Lundy scored 12 points each and Jamari Wheeler added 11 for the Lions of Nittany (7-11, 4-10), who lost their third consecutive.
The Buckeyes led 47-43 at halftime, after kicking 65% off the ground in the first half. They hit nine consecutive baskets at one point, and six Buckeyes hit the shots in the first 10 minutes.
But they were forced to play with a smaller team in the first moments of the second half and stayed behind after Lundy warmed up. The Penn State striker scored three 3 points at 2:14 to put Nittany Lions at 59-51 with 14:53 left.
But Washington picked up the pace while Liddell was sitting on the court in trouble. The Buckeyes guard scored seven points in 1:24 and drained a 3-point basket to give Ohio State a 72-64 lead with 8:58 remaining.
Penn State reduced the deficit to four with 5:10 remaining, but failed to get any closer, as the Buckeyes hit nine of the last 11 free throws to end the game.
THE GREAT IMAGE
Ohio State: The Buckeyes had already equaled their 11 wins at the conference a year ago. Three of their next five games will be against qualified opponents, and the Buckeyes will take them all at home, where they are 10-1 this season.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions played without a doubt their best first half of the season. They didn’t score more than 61 points in any of the last four, but they hit 53% in the 3-point range in the first half and had many Buckeyes on their heels.
NEXT
Ohio State: Hosts No. 3 Michigan on Sunday.
Penn State: No. 11 Iowa visits on Sunday.
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