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St. Francis, Pa.-Ohio St. Preview

Nov 27, 2009 - 6:27 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

St. Francis (PA) (1-4) at Ohio State (4-1), 5:30 p.m. EDT

Evan Turner has already turned in two triple-doubles for Ohio State. He could easily get another judging by the Buckeyes' next opponent.

Turner looks to continue his strong all-around play for No. 17 Ohio State on Saturday night when it will be heavily favored to hand St. Francis (Pa.) a fifth straight loss.

Ohio State (4-1) won 84-64 over Lipscomb on Tuesday behind Turner's 16 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. In the season-opening 100-60 win Nov. 9 over Alcorn State, he had the second recorded triple-double at Ohio State with 14 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists.

"I'm not sure if it's better than the first one or not," Turner said. "I'm definitely tired, but this game is definitely closer than the first game I had a triple-double. Five of our players had double figures so everyone chipped in, we need that in games like this to prepare us for the Big Ten schedule."

Turner did a better job of taking care of the ball with no turnovers in the second half after he had five in the first.

"I think it was the definition of a quiet triple-double," coach Thad Matta said. "I had no idea where he was, stats-wise. But he's a great player and he did some things down the stretch to help us out."

While Turner leads Ohio State in most categories, junior guard David Lighty has reached double figures in four straight games. Lighty has never averaged more than 9.7 points, and scored a career-high 22 on Tuesday.

"It doesn't matter how many points I score, as long as I go out there and do what I need to do and shut my man down," the defensive specialist said. "The man I was checking today had eight points and he's averaging 18. I'd take that any day."

It's unlikely St. Francis (1-4) will be able to slow down Ohio State. The Red Flash have gone 24-91 over their previous four seasons and seem well on their way to another 20-loss season.

Second-year coach Don Friday is trying to build for the future with players like freshman Will Felder, a Cleveland native playing his first game in his home state. Felder is second on the team in rebounding with 5.2 boards per game.

Friday also has leading scorer Devin Sweetney - a cousin of former NBA player Mike Sweetney - back. Devin Sweetney, who missed a month last season with a broken hand, is averaging 18.8 points. He had 11 points in a 76-67 loss to Lehigh on Wednesday.

These schools have never met.