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Sullinger leads No. 2 Ohio State over IUPUI

Dec 10, 2010 - 4:42 AM Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Jared Sullinger poured in 40 points to help No. 2 Ohio State avoid disaster, as the Buckeyes needed to erase a second-half deficit to earn a 75-64 victory over IUPUI.

Sullinger set a freshman scoring record and also grabbed 13 rebounds, while William Buford posted 14 points for the Buckeyes (7-0), who trailed by nine in the second period before using a pair of 11-0 runs to take the victory.

The surges allowed Ohio State to continue its season-long trend of winning games by double digits.

"Like I told a lady at a coffee shop this week, we're 6-0 now, but we're going to play 30 games this season," said Ohio State head coach Thad Matta. "We've got a long way to go. You come off a nine-day stretch and come off finals, that's not an excuse. Hopefully these guys get a little bit of a wake-up call."

Alex Young scored 20 points and dished out six assists to pace IUPUI (4-6), which was coming off a two-point loss to Oral Roberts.

The Jaguars led by a possession or two in the opening minutes of the second half, and with under 14 minutes to play, Young's layup put them up by six. Buford missed a pair of layups before John Ashworth drilled a three, giving IUPUI a 50-41 advantage.

There were still more than 12 minutes left, but it became imperative for Ohio State to keep the Jaguars from stretching the lead further, and Jon Diebler delivered with a trey on the Buckeyes' next possession.

That shot started the 11-0 run, which Sullinger's layup capped with 8:37 to play. Ohio State was then able to pull away with another 11-0 burst, which David Lighty ended with a layup. It had the Buckeyes ahead 65-54, and they held on for the final three-plus minutes.

"We just got tired," said IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter. "We only really played six or seven guys. We were basically playing media timeout to media timeout. Then at eight minutes we still had the lead, but I looked in their eyes and could see they were tired."

The teams traded the lead in a tight first half, and went into the break tied at 35 after Leroy Nobles sank a layup with 11 seconds left.

Game Notes

Sullinger shot 12-of-17 and made 16-of-23 free throws. By contrast, IUPUI took only five foul shots, making four...Diebler totaled 13 points for the Buckeyes...Nobles ended with 16 points for the Jaguars, while Donovan Gibbs provided 12...Ohio State began a seven-game homestand, featuring a visit from South Carolina.