Penn State (11-10, 2-6 Big Ten) arrived in Columbus with spirits high, but the athletic Buckeyes proved too much to handle from the field. Sophomore forward Keita Bates-Diop led the way for Ohio State with 22, while Brandon Taylor steadied the ship for the Lions with 11. Here’s how everything unfolded.

How It Happened

With both teams desperately in search of a win, absolutely nothing was held back early on in this one. Both teams let it fly from downtown, but the Lions simply couldn’t capitalize after starting 0-10 from beyond the arc. Keita Bates-Diop was the hot hand for Ohio State, and a step-back two from the corner helped his team jump out to an early 15-6 lead.

Bates-Diop connected from the corner coming out of a television timeout to extend Ohio State’s lead to 23-12 while giving him 10 points on the night. Shooting woes continued to plague Penn State, whose only basket in over four minutes came off a Jordan Dickerson jam in the lane. Bates-Diop hit another one after miss from Garner, making the shift in momentum quite palpable. A tough Ohio State basket in the crowded paint extended the Buckeye lead to 33-22, forcing Chambers to continue chucking prayers from deep to keep his team within striking distance.

The Lions finished the half on a 12-4 run to stay in the game, heading into the locker room down 33-26.

The second half opened up with a gorgeous dish from Garner to Taylor in the lane to make it 39-28, but the Buckeyes continued to give Penn State fits from long-range. Devin Foster made the most of his starters minutes, accounting for much of the Lions’ offensive success when the ball was in his hands. He saw the court well and distributed the ball efficiently. It’s not far-fetched to assume we’ll be seeing more of Foster from now on.

Ohio State’s Tate forced Chambers to call a timeout after a dazzling layup in the lane to put the Buckeyes up 44-32, and Lyle followed suit with a wide-open three. Devin Foster hit the court hard a few possessions later, writhing in pain as he lay on the court. But in warrior fashion, he returned to the bench area after a brief stretching session in the tunnel.

Donovon Jack was called for a flagrant-1 after a violent foul, allowing Ohio State to go up 51-35. Penn State’s response? Allowing Lyle to drive home for an and-1 opportunity. It’s moments like this that hinder the Lions from establishing themselves. The constant swells of efficient basketball and agonizing inconsistency have begun to define this team during conference play, but as tough as it may be sometimes, it’s evident that this team is close.

Bates-Diop extended his points total to 20 with another corner trey, forcing Chambers to call a timeout down 18 points with under 8 minutes to play. Things went from bad to worse for the Nittany Lions as the clock continued to drain. The deficit became insurmountable, spelling defeat before the final buzzer sounded. The Lions would go on to lose 66-46.

Player Of The Game

Keita Bates-Diop | F | Soph.

Sophomore forward Keita Bates-Diop controlled the tempo for the Buckeyes as he drained three after three. He would finish with 22 points, four blocks, eight rebounds, and an assist in his team’s blowout victory against the listless Nittany Lions.

What’s Next?

The Lions are off until Saturday, Jan 30, where they’ll head to Madison Square Garden in New York City to face Michigan at 12 p.m. as part of the Super Saturday doubleheader.