Ohio St. Overwhelms Penn St., 76-57 – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan 16, 2002
Box Score| Quotes| Notes
Postgame audio:
Head Coach Jim O’Brien
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Boban Savovic and Brian Brown each scored 15 points and Brent Darby had 14 as Ohio State beat Penn State 76-57 Wednesday night for its seventh straight victory.
Savovic’s 3-pointer started a 9-0 run that gave the Buckeyes (13-2, 4-0 Big Ten) a 9-2 lead three minutes in and they never trailed again.
Zach Williams added 13 points and Terence Dials had 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench for Ohio State, which moved into a first place tie atop the conference with Indiana.
The Hoosiers, the last Big Ten team to beat the Buckeyes, plays at Ohio State on Saturday.
The Buckeyes dominated the Nittany Lions down low, outscoring them 38-14 inside and winning the rebounding battle 34-18. The Buckeyes also had a 14-point advantage at the free throw line, making 20-of-28 to 6-of-12 for Penn State.
The Nittany Lions (5-10, 1-3) did rally briefly in the first half by making five 3-pointers.
Brandon Watkins’ 3-pointer pulled the Nittany Lions within 23-22 with 7:08 remaining, but Ohio State stretched its lead to 34-27 at halftime and wasn’t threatened in the second half thanks to its stifling defense.
The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten by allowing only 58 points a game.
Sharif Chambliss hit three of his four 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 18 points. Watkins made both his 3-pointers in the first half and scored 14. Penn State made 9-of-22 3-pointers overall.
The win gave the Buckeyes their first 4-0 start in the Big Ten since 1991, when they started 7-0 and finished tied for first place.
