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Sullinger helps Ohio State hold off Iowa

Jan 5, 2011 - 7:27 AM Iowa City, IA (Sports Network) - Jared Sullinger scored 24 points with 12 rebounds as No. 2 Ohio State held off Iowa, 73-68, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Jon Diebler posted 14 points for the Buckeyes (15-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who have won 24 of their last 25 games since last February.

David Lighty added 12 and six boards for Ohio State, which extended its win streak in true road games to nine.

"Iowa did a tremendous job tonight," said OSU head coach Thad Matta. "We didn't match their intensity in the first half, but in the second half our guys finally came out. We were able to get stops and rebounds and we took a lot better care of the basketball which was a huge thing for us."

Melsahn Basabe posted 22 points with 13 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (7-7, 0-2), who have lost three of their last five.

Jarryd Cole and Matt Gatens each recorded 14 points in a losing cause, Iowa's 20th straight defeat to a ranked opponent.

OSU moved ahead for good with 13:34 remaining as Sullinger's deuce gave the Buckeyes a 46-45 lead.

Lighty followed with a trey to kick-start an 18-4 run that ended with the visitors up 62-49 with 5;53 to play on a Sullinger shot in the paint.

"I think they outworked us in the stretch," Cole said. "You can't have that kind of stretch if you are trying to win basketball games, especially in the Big Ten. Day in and day out you are going to have teams doing that kind of thing. We want to be the team doing that, not the opposition."

Iowa managed to close within 69-65 on a Gatens three-pointer with 1:08 left, then a Lighty bucket was followed by a Zach McCabe three to make it 71-68.

Aaron Craft hit two from the line with 16 seconds to play, and though Lighty missed the front end of a one-and-one, Bryce Cartwright missed a long desperation chance as time ran out.

Iowa led by as many as eight points in the first half, but Ohio State stayed close and got within 32-29 on a Dallas Lauderdale slam. Cartwright closed out the half with a triple and the Hawkeyes led 35-29 at the break.

Game Notes

Ohio State's school-record road winning streak is 21, set from 1959-62, during which it also set its conference road win streak at 14 games...The 1970-72 Buckeyes also won nine straight away from home...The last time Iowa beat a team ranked as high as second in the nation happened on December 15, 2001 in an 83-65 decision at Missouri.