Ohio State was coming off an emotional victory and the potential for an upset was there.
Penn State was coming off routs of Syracuse and Wake Forest, while the Buckeyes walloped North Carolina on Wednesday, setting up a quick turnaround for the official Big Ten opener.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| #6 OHIO STATE | 46 | 60 | 106 |
| PENN STATE | 35 | 39 | 74 |
There would be no upset.
Ohio State topped Penn State, 106-74, on Saturday afternoon at the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes improved their record to 9-0.
Kaleb Wesson starting the proceedings by scoring seven points in the first three minutes of action, hinting at what was to come. He scored a season-high 28 points by hitting 9-of-16 shots and making a career-high four 3-pointers. He also grabbed 10 rebounds.
Eight different Buckeyes scored in the first half, led by Wesson's 11, to give Ohio State a 46-35 lead at the break.
Andre Wesson, who is now coming off the bench (having done so since his return from an eye injury), had 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. His brother, Kaleb, finished with the most points any Buckeye has scored this season.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | PENN STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 106 | POINTS | 74 |
| 31-54 (57.4%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 25-59 (42.4%) |
| 14-26 (53.8%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 10-29 (34.9%) |
| 30-37 (81.1%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 14-20 (70%) |
| 9 | TURNOVERS | 11 |
| 37 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 25 |
| 9 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 11 |
| 28 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 14 |
| 32 | BENCH POINTS | 41 |
| 2 | BLOCKS | 3 |
| 5 | STEALS | 5 |
| 15 | ASSISTS | 7 |
It was an extremely physical game, as expected, and the referees certainly weren't shy about blowing their whistles. On the opening play of the second half, Kaleb Wesson threw down an emphatic dunk but was assessed a technical foul for hanging on the rim too long. That would be a theme of most of the game, as a combined 43 fouls were called between the two teams.
Eight of the nine players who took the floor in the first half for Ohio State scored. Justin Ahrens, who played for exactly two seconds in the opening half, was unable to score in that time.
Duane Washington Jr. had a big second half for the Buckeyes, pouring in four much-needed three-pointers to help the Buckeyes stop a few Penn State runs.
Lamar Stevens, Penn State's top scorer coming in, poured in 11 points points on 4-of-8 shooting. Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, however, Stevens picked up two quick personal fouls in the second half before being assessed a technical foul, which knocked him out of the game with 13:26 remaining.
After Stevens fouled out, Ohio State hit six 3s in rapid succession to open up a 23-point lead with just about eight minutes left in the game. Ohio State hit 12 3-pointers overall in the second half.
This is the first time since 11/11/2018 against IPFW that Ohio State has scored 100 points in a game. Utter domination today in Columbus.
— David Wertheim (@Dave11W) December 7, 2019
Next up: Ohio State will travel to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers on Dec. 15. The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on BTN.
Game Notes
- Kaleb Wesson started off the game hot, scoring seven points in the first three minutes of action, and finished with a season-high 28. He also got big man Mike Watkins in foul trouble early.
- Penn State went on a 7-0 run late in the first half to cut the defecit to seven before Luther Muhammad buried a three-pointer to push the lead back to double digits. The lead would increase from there.
- Ohio State continued with their same starting lineup of Walker, Washington, Muhammad, Young, and Kaleb Wesson, with Andre Wesson coming off the bench.
- The fouls were aplenty in this one. A total of 21 fouls were called in the first half, while 22 were called in the second half.
