UNIVERSITY PARK — Freshman John Mobley Jr. had 19 points, Bruce Thornton scored 17 and Ohio State cruised to an 83-64 victory over Penn State at Rec Hall on Thursday night.
Mobley hit three 3-pointers and added eight assists and six rebounds for the Buckeyes (13-8, 5-5 Big Ten), who have won three in a row following a three-game skid. Thornton buried 5 of 7 from 3-point range.
Devin Royal totaled 15 points and eight rebounds for Ohio State. Micah Parrish scored 12.
Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 21 to lead the Nittany Lions (13-9, 3-8), who have lost seven of their past eight games. Zach Hicks made three 3-pointers and scored 13. Ace Baldwin Jr. and Nick Kern scored 10 each with Baldwin adding six assists.
Mobley hit three 3-pointers and scored 13 to guide Ohio State to a 43-33 advantage at halftime. Royal added 10 points for the Buckeyes, who led by as many as 15. Niederhauser had 10 points for Penn State. Niederhauser’s dunk capped a 5-0 run to close out the half for the Nittany Lions.
Hicks hit two 3-pointers in the first 86 seconds of the second half to get Penn State within 45-39. The Buckeyes scored the next five points and maintained at least a three-possession lead from there. A Parrish dunk gave Ohio State its largest lead at 82-62 with 1:39 remaining.
Ohio State outrebounded Penn State, 41-23, and 13 of them came at the offensive end, leading to an 18-4 advantage in second-chance points.
Ohio State plays at No. 18 Illinois on Sunday. Penn State will host Minnesota on Tuesday.
