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Thompson's career night helps Buckeyes top PSU

Feb 12, 2015 - 4:02 AM Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Sam Thompson scored a career-high 22 points and No. 23 Ohio State cruised past Penn State on Wednesday, 75-55.

"I was so happy to see the ball going in for Sam," said Buckeyes coach Thad Matta. "He puts a lot of time in, and we've been saying that if we can get him to make shots, it makes us a lot more effective in terms of our spacing."

The Buckeyes (19-6, 8-4 Big Ten) never trailed to avenge last season's sweep at the hands of the Nittany Lions.

D'Angelo Russell totaled 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds despite shooting just 4-of-13.

Penn State (15-10, 3-9) got 16 points from D.J. Newbill, the conference's leading scorer. Brandon Taylor scored 11 points and shot 3-of-6 from 3-point range.

Ohio State jumped out to a 12-0 lead thanks to Penn State missing its first eight shots. Julian Moore's turnaround jumper finally got the Nittany Lions on the board seven minutes into the game.

"I thought we took some really good shots in that first four minutes, and they didn't fall," said Penn State coach Patrick Chambers.

Newbill's three-point play later in the half narrowed Penn State's deficit to three, but the Buckeyes soon responded with an 8-0 run. Newbill hit a 3- pointer in the final minute to cut Ohio State's lead to 37-23 at halftime.

Taylor's triple six minutes into the second half cut the Nittany Lions' deficit to 11, but they would not get any closer. Thompson responded at the other end with a shot from long distance.

Ohio State did not allow Penn State to hit a field goal for the next four minutes, and three-point plays from Thompson and Keita Bates-Diop helped extend its lead back to 18 points.

With four minutes to play, Jae'Sean Tate punctuated the win with his second 3- pointer of the season to extend the Buckeyes' lead to a game-high 22.

Game Notes

Ohio State is 18-0 when leading at halftime ... The Buckeyes scored 21 points off 15 Penn State turnovers ... Ohio State's Shannon Scott had 10 rebounds and six assists ... Bates-Diop scored seven points, grabbed five boards and blocked three shots ... Each team plays again on Saturday with Ohio State traveling to Michigan State and Penn State hosting Maryland.