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No. 3 Ohio State rolls past Youngstown State

Nov 25, 2006 - 3:32 AM COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- Ohio State did not look ahead.

Ivan Harris scored 18 points and Daequan Cook added 15 of his 17 in the first half as the third-ranked Buckeyes coasted to a 91-57 triumph over intrastate rival Youngstown State.

Ohio State (6-0) wasted little time getting prepared for their upcoming battle with No. 2 North Carolina in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Wednesday. The matchup will feature two of the top recruiting classes in the nation.

"I would feel better if Greg (Oden, who has an injured wrist) was healthy, but our guys know this is a unique opportunity," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said of his 7-foot freshman. "We will go down and play and see where we are after that. They (North Carolina) are going to pose some problems we haven't seen before. We will definitely have some teachable moments."

"It's one of those games we've been looking forward to," Cook said. "It comes down to hard work. As long as we work hard, we'll come out successful."

Mike Conley's steal and breakaway jam capped an impressive 27-2 surge as Ohio State build a 40-14 advantage with 4 1/2 minutes left before the break. Cook and Matt Terwilliger combined for 19 points in the run.

"It's something I worked on all summer (3-point shooting) - to transition out on the floor," said Terwilliger, who scored a season-high 10 points.

Ron Lewis' 3-pointer with 47 seconds to go in the half gave the Buckeyes a commanding 30-point lead. Lewis is the only Ohio State player to have scored in double figures in each game this season.

"We're not selfish. Everyone looks to everybody," said Lewis, who scored 16 points. "We know who to go to on the offensive end when they have a hot hand and get a better feel who to get the ball to."

The Buckeyes led, 54-25, at intermission behind 57 percent (22-of-38) shooting from the field, including 8-of-18 on 3-pointers. They were never challenged in the second half.

Ohio State has won 25 straight home games against non-conference opponents and improved to 3-0 all-time in the series.

John Barber scored 16 points and Quin Humphrey added 15 for the Penguins (2-4), who fell to 0-16 against Big Ten opponents.

"We obviously had a tough time taking care of the basketball (Friday)," Youngstown coach Jerry Slocum said. "Ohio State shoots the ball so well and spreads the floor. They are tremendous offensively."