Ohio State pummels Indiana

Ohio State vs Indiana

Needing a victory to regain their footing in the Big Ten race, the Ohio State Buckeyes pummeled visiting Indiana with a barrage of three-point baskets.

In defeating the Hoosiers 77-53 on Tuesday at Value City Arena, the Buckeyes swished 11 triples in the first half and 13 for the game.

“We’ve been working hard in practice, staying later and getting there early, working on making the extra pass and getting better looks,” said Ohio State freshman guard William Buford, who nailed four baskets from three-point range on the way to a game-high 19 points and who also finished with seven rebounds and three assists. “The better the look, the better the shot.”

“William is seeing a lot of his hard work paying off,” Ohio State head coach Thad Matta said about Buford. “The basketball court for him is like a math class; he learns one thing one week and something else the next. He has a better understanding of what we’re trying to get accomplished.”

Sophomore guard Jon Diebler hit five triples in the first half as the Buckeyes (12-3 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) opened up a 44-28 lead at the intermission.

“We moved the ball well tonight,” Diebler said, referring to Ohio State's total of 23 assists. “Our post players did a great job setting screens tonight. I think we reversed the floor well. We’ve been doing better in practice offensively, and it showed tonight.”

Diebler finished with 17 points, five assists, three rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal as the Buckeyes dashed to their most-lopsided victory over the Hoosiers since 1971.

“There’s no question that he does an incredible job of moving without the basketball,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said about Diebler. “We plan not to give him open threes, but he is one of the better three-point shooters in America, let alone the Big Ten. Diebler felt like he was open and made Ohio State a longer team.”

After the Hoosiers (5-11, 0-4) scored the first basket of the game on a layup by Tom Pritchard, the Buckeyes went ahead to stay at 3-2 when Buford connected for a three-pointer.

During the midway portion of the opening half, the Buckeyes embarked upon an 18-0 scoring blitz to increase their lead to 33-10. Diebler began the run with a triple from the left baseline, and freshman center B.J. Mullens concluded it with a two-handed slam off an assist from Diebler.

Mullens finished with 14 points and eight rebounds as Ohio State had five players score in double figures. Sophomore guard Evan Turner had 13 points and five assists, while junior guard Jeremie Simmons contributed 12 points and eight assists.

The Buckeyes will play at Michigan (13-4, 3-2) at 8 p.m. Saturday.

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