Freshman Jared Sullinger scored 19 points and hit a three-point play with 13.2 seconds left to lift the second-ranked Buckeyes to a 69-66 victory over Penn State on Saturday. Fellow freshman Aaron Craft also had 19 points, a career-high, to go with seven assists and brilliant defense against Penn State (10-7, 3-3) star Talor Battle. Battle's 3-pointer with 2 seconds left came up well short of extending the game, but before that he was held to just 15 points, which came up to be second best for the Nittany Lions tonight.
David Jackson had 19 for Penn State and the Buckeyes also held Jeff Brooks under 17 points, keeping him at 11. All game the defensive plan was to keep Battle at bay, and it worked for the most part. Towards the end Talor got a couple of calls that continued to make the game exciting at the finish.
On offense, it seemed early on that the Buckeyes focused on the perimeter shooting and passing. Not a lot of action went on in the paint, which may be why Sullinger was quieter in the first half, having to shoot mostly outside jump shots and free throws.
My Thoughts:
- Aaron Craft played out of his mind this whole night, and would get Player of the Game honors if Sullinger hadn't gotten two straight And 1's.
- David Lighty is continuing to lead by example by going after every loose ball and attempting every possible steal. It's starting to have an effect on the other players as you saw Diebler with a couple of steals and Sullinger diving for balls.
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| Sullinger provided key And 1's to finish the game |
- This team is getting it done when it matters the most. I would love if they went undefeated, but if not, I wouldn't be too bothered by it. All that matters is that they are holding that Big Ten Championship trophy up and that they can get back to the National Championship game.
The next game for Ohio State is Wednesday against the Hawkeyes, who gave OSU a scare on the night of the Sugar Bowl, but were able to pull out a 73-68 win at Iowa.
