The trip to Happy Valley on Tuesday night turned into a showcase for the Ohio State men’s basketball team, as the Buckeyes blew out the Nittany Lions 82-61 on their way to win number 27 on the season. Jon Diebler highlighted the night with an OSU-record 10 three-pointers, surpassing the mark of nine he tied earlier in the year.
The game got off to a bit of a slow start before the Nittany Lions drew first blood on two free throw’s by Andrew Jones following a foul on Dallas Lauderdale. Ohio State quickly answered with a banker from William Buford. Jon Diebler then hit his first three-pointer of the game, which was followed by another Buford bank shot, and suddenly the Bucks were off and running. Buford continued to impress early, posting up on numerous occasions to take advantage of the smaller Penn State guards attempting to keep him in check.
As the game drew under 10 minutes left in the first, Jon Diebler hit another three to open up a 16-8 lead. The margin continued to grow as Diebler knocked down three more treys before the half was over. Ohio State’s dominance of the first half was assisted by poor shooting from the Lions, who stood at a mark of 20% on field goals with around two minutes remaining prior to the break before hitting a couple shots to make it a 15-point game at 33-18 in favor of the Buckeyes. For the half, Diebler was on fire, shooting 5-6 from downtown. Diebler also contributed four assists, and William Buford reached double figures with 10 points.
David Lighty got the Scarlet & Gray started in the second half with a three-ball for his first points on the night, and seconds later William Buford followed it with another three to extend the lead to 20. The bombs from downtown just kept coming, with Aaron Craft getting in on the action and Diebler hitting his sixth and seventh on the night before six minutes had ticked off the clock in the second half. The score stood at 48-27, and any chance of a Penn State comeback was becoming increasingly slim.
The Ohio State onslaught showed no signs of slowing down as the game went under 10 minutes remaining. Buford hit another three. Then Diebler hit another three. Then Lighty hit a runner in the lane. Then Sullinger displayed a smooth up-and-under move for two. Penn State had no answer for the offensive steamroller that was Ohio State on the night. The Lions did find their shooting touch in the second half, raising their percentage to just under 50% for the game, but it made no difference in the final result.
Before all was said and done, Diebler knocked down his ninth three and stayed in the game for a chance to break the Ohio State single game record. In a play that spoke volumes for his mindset as a team player, Diebler passed on a three to drive the lane and set up a nice assist to Deshaun Thomas that the freshman jammed home. The favor was returned moments later when freshman Lenzelle Smith found Diebler in the corner for number 10.
Diebler led all scorers in the game with his 30 points, and Buford posted a very strong 21 for the Buckeyes. Jared Sullinger managed to record another double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Ohio State shot over 55% on field goals overall and 54% on three-pointers, complemented by 21 assists for the team. Talor Battle had 18 points for Penn State.
The Ohio State regular season concludes on Sunday with the eagerly anticipated rematch with Wisconsin. The Badgers will be in our house this time, and the atmosphere in the Schott will no doubt be electrifying. The game will be played at 4:00pm and will be aired on CBS. We look forward to sharing in the game here with the liveblog, so definitely be sure to stop by!
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