Zed Key was shooting finger guns and, finally, Ohio State's losing streak was nearly dead.
An and-one bucket from the Ohio State center put the Buckeyes up 22 points with 12:23 to play, capping a personal 7-0 run for Key.
After the Buckeyes blew an 18-point second-half lead against Penn State on Dec. 9, this time their 22-point lead held up as Ohio State (13-5, 3-4 Big Ten) defeated the Nittany Lions (9-9, 3-5) 79-67 to snap its three-game losing streak before a happy Value City Arena crowd.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| PENN STATE | 19 | 48 | 67 |
| OHIO STATE | 33 | 46 | 79 |
The Buckeyes started on a 16-0 run and their lead never shrunk to less than nine points afterward.
Taking some revenge against his former team, Evan Mahaffey scored a career-high 16 points with five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Roddy Gayle Jr. picked up 16 points of his own while Jamison Battle and Zed Key each also hit double-figures with 11 and 10.
First half
Ohio State got off to a ferocious start on both the offensive and defensive ends.
Behind six points each from Gayle and Mahaffey, the Buckeyes surged ahead with a 16-0 run to start the game. Most of the squad's work came around the rim, with 14 of those 16 points coming from within the painted area.
Meanwhile, it took more than seven minutes for Penn State to get on the scoreboard. The Nittany Lions started 0-for-11 from the field and only got on the scoreboard via a running three-point shot as the shot clock expired that banked in off the hand of Jameel Brown.
Penn State hit a few more circus threes to keep the first half from getting completely out of hand, but Ohio State's defense – captained by some menacing interior play from Okpara – kept the Nittany Lions smothered.
In addition to the meager 19 first-half points Penn State scored, the squad shot just 21.9% from the field and turned the ball over six times. Fifteen of the Nittany Lions' 19 points came on three-pointers.
Jamison Battle got some good work done in the post as Penn State focused on containing him from beyond the arc, flipping up a few turnaround lay-ins to help maintain Ohio State's lead.
One of those turnarounds and another strong Gayle finish around the rim made it 33-19 Ohio State at halftime despite the Buckeyes' 0-for-8 shooting start from three.
Second half
| OHIO STATE | STAT | PENN STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 79 | POINTS | 67 |
| 27-59 (45.8%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 26-70 (37.1%) |
| 3-18 (16.7%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 11-24 (45.8%) |
| 22-25 (88%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 4-5 (80%) |
| 6 | TURNOVERS | 8 |
| 43 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 36 |
| 9 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 11 |
| 34 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 25 |
| 25 | BENCH POINTS | 25 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 0 |
| 5 | STEALS | 3 |
| 15 | ASSISTS | 10 |
Mahaffey got the ball rolling in the second half against his former team.
He kicked off the period's scoring with a flush off a sharp alley-oop feed from Gayle. The former Penn State forward also cashed in a layup and collected a steal over the next few minutes.
Gayle soon hit Battle with a beautiful laser of a pass from the right side of the rim to the left wing for an open three, Battle converted Ohio State's first distance make of the afternoon and the Buckeyes led 46-29 with 14:24 to play.
Penn State's offense had picked up significantly, scoring as many points in the first nine minutes of the first half as it did the entire first half. But a spark from freshman forward Devin Royal helped prevent a similar fiasco to the Nittany Lions' comeback win against the Buckeyes earlier this year.
Royal put up eight points in under five minutes, including six Ohio State points in a row, all either around the rim or at the free-throw line.
Star guard Bruce Thornton then finally broke through for his first points of the game, nailing a three-pointer to make it 64-43 as the clock ticked under nine minutes to play.
Penn State tried to ramp up the pressure with a full-court press for much of the final 10 minutes. After falling behind 68-45, the Nittany Lions did go on a quick 7-0 run, but Ohio State guard Dale Bonner snapped it with a triple.
The Nittany Lions kept chipping away down the stretch, getting back-to-back threes from Zach Hicks and Kanye Clary to cut the lead to single digits for the first time since 15:59 remained in the first half. But two free throws from Gayle made it a 74-63 lead for the Buckeyes with less than two minutes to play, then a clean mid-range jumper by Gayle made things 76-65 later on.
As Ohio State dribbled out the final seconds of a 79-67 win, it drew a standing ovation from its home crowd.
What's next
Ohio State plays the first of two consecutive road games against a 13-5 Nebraska squad on Tuesday. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. with Peacock set to stream the contest.
Game notes
- Scotty Middleton missed the tilt with Penn State after being suspended for a violation of team rules.
- Now former Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was honored at halfcourt during the under-four media timeout of the first half, drawing a massive reaction from the crowd.
- Bruce Thornton sustained an eye poke and missed time while being evaluated in the first half but reentered with 3:24 to play in the period and appeared fine the rest of the way.
- Chris Holtmann picked up his 250th career coaching win, with 135 of them coming at Ohio State. He's fifth all-time in wins for the Buckeyes.
