John Mobley Jr., Bruce Thornton lead Ohio State to 83-64 victory over Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) — Freshman John Mobley Jr. had 19 points, Bruce Thornton scored 17 and Ohio State cruised to an 83-64 victory over Penn State at Rec Hall on Thursday night.

Mobley hit three 3-pointers and added eight assists and six rebounds for the Buckeyes (13-8, 5-5 Big Ten Conference), who have won three in a row following a three-game skid. Thornton buried 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

Devin Royal totaled 15 points and eight rebounds for Ohio State. Micah Parrish scored 12.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 21 to lead the Nittany Lions (13-9, 3-8), who have lost seven of their last eight games. Zach Hicks made three 3-pointers and scored 13. Ace Baldwin Jr. and Nick Kern both scored 10 with Baldwin adding six assists.

Mobley hit three 3-pointers and scored 13 to guide Ohio State to a 43-33 advantage at halftime. Royal added 10 points for the Buckeyes, who led by as many as 15. Niederhauser had 10 points for Penn State. Niederhauser’s dunk capped a 5-0 run to close out the half for the Nittany Lions.

Hicks hit two 3-pointers in the first 86 seconds of the second half to get Penn State within 45-39. The Buckeyes scored the next five points and maintained at least a three-possession lead from there. A Parrish dunk gave Ohio State its largest lead at 82-62 with 1:39 remaining.

Ohio State outrebounded Penn State 41-23 and 13 of them came at the offensive end, leading to an 18-4 advantage in second-chance points.

Ohio State plays at No. 18 Illinois on Sunday. Penn State will host Minnesota on Tuesday.

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