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Offense carries Buckeyes past Morehead State

Dec 13, 2014 - 11:23 PM Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Sam Thompson and D'Angelo Russell each had 15 points as No. 12 Ohio State posted an 87-71 win over Morehead State at Value City Arena.

Despite struggling on the defensive end for much of the game, Ohio State (8-1) still managed to record a third straight lopsided victory since falling to No. 4 Louisville on Dec. 2 behind a sharp shooting display. Thompson and Amir Williams both finished 5-of-6 from the field and the Buckeyes went 56.6 percent overall as a team.

"There are some things we've got to work on but it was a good win," said Thompson. "(Morehead State) was a very good team and we're happy to get out of here with another win."

The Eagles (4-8) shot 55.3 percent, with Corban Collins draining 6-of-7 attempts from 3-point range in a 22-point effort, but committed 21 turnovers in their fourth straight loss.

Williams ended with 12 points and nine rebounds, with Jae'Sean Tate also tallying 12 points for Ohio State.

The Buckeyes opened the game on a 12-2 run and never trailed at any stage, though Morehead State stayed within striking distance for much of the first half due to Collins, who knocked down 4-of-5 tries from beyond the arc for the period. Two of those makes came during a 10-4 spurt that brought the Eagles within 18-15 just over seven minutes in.

Another Collins three had Ohio State up just 23-20 before the Buckeyes put together a 10-2 sequence to go ahead by double digits with five minutes remaining in the half. A 12-2 flurry, during which Russell netted seven points, to close out the period sent Ohio State into the locker room owning a comfortable 47-28 lead.

The Eagles were able to cut down a 20-point differential down to 14 with 12 minutes left, with two more Collins 3-pointers fueling an 8-2 push that pulled Morehead within 62-48. Ohio State then clamped down defensively, forcing three turnovers and several missed shots while putting the Eagles away via an 8-2 run of its own.

Back-to-back dunks by Thompson and Russell finished off the stretch, which put the Buckeyes up by a 70-50 count with seven minutes to go.

"I was proud of our guys for infiltrating and putting them on their heels the second half," said Morehead State head coach Sean Woods. "We had a few turnovers here and there, but they're more athletic than we are and they beat us on the boards. The rebounding and the turnovers were the game."

Game Notes

The game was Ohio State's Thad Matta's 500th as a head coach ... The Buckeyes have now won 56 straight home games -- all by double digits -- against unranked non-conference opponents ... Ohio State improved to 15-0 all-time against members of the Ohio Valley Conference, with four of those wins coming against Morehead State ... Lyonell Gaines had 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the Eagles.