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Ohio State stays perfect with rout of Oakland

Dec 24, 2010 - 6:15 AM Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Deshaun Thomas scored 17 points, Jared Sullinger added 16 and No. 2 Ohio State had no trouble in a 92-63 victory over Oakland to remain undefeated.

Jon Diebler and David Lighty chipped in 13 points apiece for the Buckeyes (12-0), while William Buford and Aaron Craft both scored 12 in a well-rounded offensive effort that included a 10-for-18 team performance from three-point range.

Travis Bader scored 17 points and Larry Wright had 12 to lead Oakland (7-8), which fell to 1-3 since its upset of then-No. 7 Tennessee on December 14.

The Golden Grizzlies became Ohio State's 12th straight double-digit victim to start the season despite trailing by only four points late in the first half.

"Give our guys credit, they delivered," said Buckeyes head coach Thad Matta. "It was a very good win for us."

The Buckeyes will look to remain undefeated against Tennessee-Martin on Monday before beginning their Big Ten schedule at Indiana on New Year's Eve.

For the time being, however, they continue to feast on lesser talent.

"They are a very good team," Oakland head coach Greg Kampe said. "I like the way they defend and are sound on principles. They scouted very well and that's a compliment to Thad and the rest of the team."

Ohio State scored the first eight points of the game -- Sullinger had six of them -- and never trailed, although the first half was more competitive than the second.

The Buckeyes led by as many as 13 points before the half, but Oakland clawed all the way back to within four when Wright drilled a three-pointer to make it 31-27 with under two minutes remaining.

Lighty scored four points during a 6-1 run to end the half, giving Ohio State a 37-28 lead heading into the locker room.

The Buckeyes started the second half with back-to-back buckets from Sullinger and Dallas Lauderdale and never let their lead dip below double digits again.

Their advantage reached 20 points for the first time when Thomas' jumper made it 60-40 with about 11 minutes left. It ballooned to 30 points about three minutes later when Lighty hit a three to make it 75-45 and was as high as 37 before the end of the game.

Game Notes

Ohio State leads the all-time series 2-0...The Buckeyes shot 47 percent from the field, while Oakland shot 38 percent...Diebler (3-for-5) and Lighty (3- for-4) led Ohio State's 56-percent effort from beyond the arc...Oakland shot 38 percent (9-of-24) from three-point range.