The Ohio State men’s basketball team extended its in-conference winning streak Wednesday, beating the lowly Indiana Hoosiers 69-52.
The Buckeyes (19-6, 9-3) started the game on a 9-0 run, but the Hoosiers held their own for a brief period in the first half to climb within two points at 22-20. The success, however, was short lived.
As junior Evan Turner sat on the bench with two early fouls, the Buckeyes ended the half on a 12-0 run. OSU led by 14 at the break and the Hoosiers were never close again.
Even after playing only three minutes in the first half, Turner ended the game with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Sophomore William Buford led the way offensively for the Buckeyes, scoring 21 points on 9-17 shooting. He added seven rebounds and four assists.
The story of the game, however, was the stellar play that OSU got from the center position. Junior Dallas Lauderdale matched his career high with 14 points, but more importantly, he grabbed eight rebounds and blocked a season-high seven shots.
Reserve center Kyle Madsen added a career-high 11 points on 4-5 shooting.
The win was the Buckeyes’ eighth in a row in Big Ten play, and with the Michigan State Spartans losing their third game in a row on Tuesday, OSU is now in a three-way tie for first in the conference.
The Buckeyes are tied with the Spartans and their next opponent, Illinois. Considering their 1-3 start to conference play, it is fairly remarkable for them to be atop the league at this point in the season. If the Spartans continue to struggle, a win Sunday against the Fighting
Illini could leave the Buckeyes all alone in first place.
An outright regular season conference championship would be OSU’s first since the 2006-2007 season.
Ohio State and Illinois square off in Champaign, Ill., Sunday at 1 p.m.
