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Ohio State avenges New Year's Eve loss to Indiana

Jan 16, 2012 - 7:04 AM Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Lenzelle Smith, Jr. scored 18 of his career- high 28 points in the first half, as fifth-ranked Ohio State dominated No. 7 Indiana, 80-63, at Value City Arena.

Smith made 10-of-12 field goals -- 4-of-5 from beyond the arc -- for the Buckeyes (16-3, 4-2 Big Ten), who avenged a 74-70 loss to the Hoosiers on New Year's Eve in Bloomington.

Jared Sullinger had 16 points and nine rebounds for Ohio State, which limited the visitors to 14 points and 27 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.

William Buford and Deshaun Thomas contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the win.

"[Our] defense today is what I dream about," said Ohio State coach Thad Matta. "We've shown signs of five players coming together and playing defense, but today we did a good job of playing total team defense."

Cody Zeller paced Indiana (15-3, 3-3) with 16 points. Christian Watford added 13 and Jordan Hulls 11.

Hulls opened the game with a jumper, marking the only time the Hoosiers were in front. From there, it was all Ohio State, which built a 35-14 halftime lead.

The Buckeyes led by as many as 26 in the second half -- a Smith jumper made it 51-25 with 13:49 to play.

Indiana was never closer than 16 the rest of the way.

"It really came down to our lack of response to the physicality of the game," said Indiana coach Tom Crean. "You're not going to beat a team that is as talented as they are if you don't respond to that. And you're not going to beat them defensively."

Game Notes

Ohio State extended its home winning streak to 36 games...The last time the Buckeyes defeated Indiana when both teams were ranked in the top-10 was February 17, 1991...The Hoosiers have lost four straight in Columbus...Indiana shot 55 percent in the second half...Ohio State made 54 percent of its shots for the game.