It took longer than expected, but Ohio State finally got the effort it needed to bounce back from a blowout loss at Indiana and defeat lowly Rutgers.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 39 | 55 | 94 |
| RUTGERS | 41 | 27 | 68 |
The Buckeyes overcame a woeful first half defensive effort to coast to an easy win Wednesday, downing Rutgers 94-68 at the Schottenstein Center behind a triple-double from freshman guard JaQuan Lyle. The 94 points is a season-high for Ohio State.
Lyle led Ohio State with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, securing the triple-double on an assist to Jae'Sean Tate with 4:54 left. It is Ohio State's first triple-double since Feb. 8, 2015, when D'Angelo Russell scored 23 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 11 assists in a 79-60 victory at Rutgers.
Lyle had a double-double at halftime with 11 points and 10 rebounds, but the Buckeyes still trailed 41-39 following Marc Loving's layup at the buzzer.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | RUTGERS |
|---|---|---|
| 94 | POINTS | 68 |
| 36-73 (39) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 22-57 (39) |
| 7-21 (33) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 6-20 (30) |
| 15-24 (63) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 18-28 (64) |
| 7 | TURNOVERS | 15 |
| 45 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 36 |
| 14 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 9 |
| 31 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 27 |
| 27 | BENCH POINTS | 16 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 3 |
| 10 | STEALS | 4 |
| 17 | ASSISTS | 9 |
Ohio State scored the first 13 points of the second half, however, and never trailed again.
The Scarlet Knights nailed six 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes and took advantage of a more than four-minute Ohio State scoring drought to extend their lead to eight late in the half.
Corey Sanders hit four 3-pointers on his way to 17 first-half points for the Scarlet Knights. He finished with 20 points.
Rutgers held a 24-17 rebounding advantage at halftime, but Ohio State flipped the script in the second half to win the battle of the boards 45-36.
Including Lyle, six Buckeyes scored in double figures — Tate, Keita Bates-Diop and Kam Williams each had 14, Loving scored 12 and Trevor Thompson tallied 11 while also grabbing seven rebounds.
Omari Grier had 14 points for Rutgers (6-12, 0-5 Big Ten), D.J. Foreman had 13 and Bishop Daniels 12.
Ohio State (12-6, 4-1) visits No. 3 Maryland Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for noon.
