John Mobley Jr. sank five 3-pointers to highlight a 25-point performance, fueling Ohio State to an 84-78 victory over Penn State on Monday in a Big Ten game at Columbus, Ohio.
Amare Bynum scored 15 points and Devin Royal added 14 for the Buckeyes (14-6, 6-4 Big Ten), who shot a robust 55.6% from the floor and enjoyed a 34-24 advantage in points in the paint.
Taisan Chatman had 11 points off the bench to help Ohio State overcome the absence of Christoph Tilly (lower body) and secure its third win in four games.
Penn State’s Eli Rice finished with a career-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor — including 6-of-11 success from 3-point range.
Ivan Juric collected 14 points and 14 rebounds and Josh Reed and Melih Tunca each had 13 points for the Nittany Lions (9-11, 0-9), who committed 18 turnovers en route to losing their seventh game in a row.
Rice sank three 3-pointers and Reed converted a three-point play to highlight a stretch in which Penn State scored 27 of the first 37 points of the second half to trim its 18-point deficit to 60-59 with 10:46 remaining.
Mobley scored his first points of the second half with a pair of free throws before adding two 3-pointers to extend Ohio State’s lead to 74-63 with 6:38 to go.
The Nittany Lions closed within four points with 23.1 seconds to play on another Rice 3-pointer, but Mobley and Chatman sealed the win at the free-throw line.
Rice drained a 3-pointer to give Penn State a quick 5-4 lead before Ohio State responded with a 21-6 run. Mobley sank a pair of 3-pointers to highlight that stretch.
Dominick Stewart and Juric each made a 3-pointer to trim the Buckeyes’ advantage to 33-23. Ohio State responded with a flourish, with Royal and Mobley each connecting from beyond the arc and Bynum converting a three-point play to stake their team to a 50-32 lead at halftime.
–Field Level Media
