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Diebler hits nine 3s, No. 2 Ohio State rolls

Dec 16, 2010 - 3:54 AM Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Jon Diebler scored 29 points, including 27 from beyond the arc, as No. 2 Ohio State disposed of Florida Golf Coast, 83-55, at Value City Arena.

Diebler was surprisingly left open in Florida Gulf Coast's zone defense, burying his first seven treys and finishing 9-of-14 from long distance. William Buford chipped in with 17 points and six rebounds, while freshman Jared Sullinger chipped in with 11 points for Ohio State (9-0).

Chase Fieler led the Eagles (2-6) with 12 points and five rebounds and Anthony Banks chipped in with 10 points in defeat.

"I understand that was one of the best three-point performances this building has even seen, and I'm sure it's one of the best we've ever seen," said Florida Gulf Coast head coach Dave Balza.

Diebler matched the Buckeyes record for three-pointers in a game, making shots from all over the floor. He has now made a school-record 291 three-pointers in his collegiate career.

"Jon had hot hands tonight and they were leaving him open so we were getting him the shots," said Buford.

Florida Gulf Coast played zone in an attempt to focus on the interior game of Sullinger, who took just nine shots in the contest. However, the gamble didn't pay off, as Diebler drained five treys in the first half. Ohio State made more made three-pointers (7) than the Eagles had field goals (6).

The Buckeyes tallied the first seven points, and Diebler buried his first three treys as part of 11 successive points that opened a comfortable 18-3 advantage in the early going. Another long-distance jumper from Diebler pushed the margin to 32-12 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half, and Ohio State took a 42-16 lead into the locker room.

Florida Gulf Coast got the deficit under 20 points at 54-35 on Christophe Varidel's three-pointer with a little more 11 minutes on the clock, but a 12-1 spurt capped by Buford's layup escalated the advantage to 66-36. The Buckeyes substituted freely the rest of the way.

Game Notes

Ohio State made 13 three-pointers on the game and shot 48.5 percent from the floor overall...The Eagles made eight treys and converted on 43.5 percent of their shot attempts...Ohio State head coach Thad Matta improved to 93-2 at home versus unranked teams...Florida Gulf Coast fell to 0-5 all-time against Big Ten teams. It lost, 88-60, to Indiana early in the season...This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.