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Feb. 11, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)- D.J. Newbill had 16 points and Brandon Taylor 11 as Penn State men's basketball (15-10, 3-9) fell short in a 75-55 decision on the road at No. 23/21 Ohio State Wednesday evening.
Sam Thompson scored a career-high 22 points, while Russell, the nation's top freshman scorer, added 17 points, six rebounds and seven assists for Ohio State (19-6, 8-4 Big Ten), which has won five of six.
Ohio State never trailed after streaking to a 9-0 lead early in the game.
The Nittany Lions scored nine of 11 points during one span to draw as close as 24-16 before Ohio State pulled away for good. Thompson hit a layup off Russell's assist before Russell made a teardrop and two free throws and Jae'Sean Tate scored inside. After Julian Moore hit a basket for Penn State, Russell poured in a long, arching 3-pointer to make it 35-18.
The Buckeyes were up 37-23 at halftime, and both teams played erratically with the ball to start the second half.
Ohio State finally broke it open when Keita Bates-Diop and Thompson had consecutive three-point plays to push the lead to 56-38 with just more than 10 minutes left.
After playing three of their last four on the road, the Nittany Lions head home to face No. 19 Maryland on Saturday and No. 5 Wisconsin next Wednesday.