Desperate times call for desperate measures.
When Ohio State let the majority of a 17-point lead slip away Wednesday at Penn State, Evan Turner took matters into his own hands.
Despite making just one of his eight shot attempts in the first half, Turner continued to fire away down the stretch, leading the Buckeyes (22-7, 12-4) to a 75-67 victory over the Nittany Lions (10-17, 2-13).
The National Player of the Year candidate dished out seven assists and grabbed seven rebounds to go along with his 25 points, one of four Buckeyes in double figures.
OSU used a 19-6 run to open up a 49-32 second half lead before Penn State fired back. The Nittany Lions connected on a barrage of 3-pointers to cut the lead to 50-44.
After the Buckeyes built the lead back up to 11, Penn State forced a series of OSU turnovers to trim the lead to 59-57.
That’s when Turner took over. The junior scored OSU’s next eight points, pushing the lead to eight, an advantage the Buckeyes wouldn’t relinquish.
Forward David Lighty chipped in 18 points, while Jon Diebler added 16 and William Buford 12. Guard Talor Battle paced Penn State with 22 points.
The win marked the 13th in a row for OSU over Penn State, the longest current streak of one team over another in the Big Ten.
Ohio State welcomes Michigan to the Schottenstein Center for a Saturday matinee this weekend at noon.
