John Mobley Jr. scored 19 points, and Bruce Thornton had 11 of his 17 points in the second half as Ohio State defeated Penn State 83-64 on Thursday in State College, Penn.
Devin Royal contributed 15 points and eight rebounds, while Micah Parrish added 12 points for Ohio State (13-8, 5-5 Big Ten), which has won three consecutive games.
Yanic Konan Niederhauser led Penn State with 21 points, and Zach Hicks added 13 points. Ace Baldwin Jr. and Nick Kern Jr. each scored 10 points for the Nittany Lions (13-9, 3-8), who have lost seven of their last eight games.
For the second year in a row, Penn State hosted a game at Recreational Hall, the gym the team used before moving to the larger Bryce Jordan Center in 1996.
The Nittany Lions hoped the support from their home fans would help them win, but the Buckeyes had other plans.
Ohio State trailed 4-2 early, but Mobley scored five straight points to give the Buckeyes the lead for good.
The Buckeyes used solid defense, including four steals in the first half, to build a nine-point lead, which stretched to 43-28 with 1:08 left. Mobley added two free throws after Kern received a technical foul with 2:17 remaining.
Penn State scored the last five points of the half, cutting the deficit to 43-33. The Nittany Lions made it a six-point game early in the second half after Hicks hit two 3-pointers, but Ohio State responded with a five-point run to lead 50-39.
Penn State never got closer than eight points for the rest of the game, with the Buckeyes pushing the lead to 20 after Aaron Bradshaw dunked to make it 78-58 with 4:41 remaining.
Thursday marked the fifth time the Nittany Lions have played in Rec Hall since 1996, including a win over No. 12 Illinois last season.
