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Williams leads Ohio State over American

Nov 21, 2013 - 7:06 AM Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Amir Williams had 16 points and seven rebounds, while Aaron Craft tallied seven of No. 8 Ohio State's 15 steals in the Buckeyes' 63-52 triumph over American on Wednesday night.

"I've seen him more energized and aggressive this season," Ohio State head coach Thad Matta said of Williams. "He has also been dominating in practice. Tonight I really loved seeing his patience."

Shannon Scott added 13 points, nine boards and three steals for the Buckeyes (4-0), who shot 35.7 percent (20-of-56) from the floor and just 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from beyond the arc.

Tony Wroblicky filled the stat sheet with 14 points, seven boards, four blocks and three steals for American (1-2), which turned the ball over 27 times.

"We had 27 turnovers and gave up 17 offensive rebounds, and I think that had a lot to do with the loss. They're loaded with a lot of weapons," American head coach Mike Brennan said.

The Eagles hung around in the opening 20 minutes and led 20-17 following John Schoof's layup with 6:32 left in the half, but the Buckeyes closed the stanza on an 11-3 run.

Right after Darius Gardner's three-point play whittled the American deficit to 26-23 with three seconds remaining, Craft snuck free and converted a layup right before the horn to make it 28-23 heading into the break.

Ohio State began the second half on a 9-4 flurry and Williams' jumper capped the swing and gave the Buckeyes their first double-digit lead, 37-27.

Jesse Reed's layup got the Eagles within 51-44 with 6:22 to go, but Ohio State ripped off nine straight to put the game away. A Williams steal led to a Sam Thompson dunk in transition for a 60-44 advantage with 2:17 on the clock.

Game Notes

Craft netted nine points, but was just 2-of-9 from the floor ... Reed led American with 15 points ... The Buckeyes gave the ball away 13 times.