Hot-shooting Ohio State crushes Penn State

Field Level Media|published: Wed 4th March, 21:52 2026

NCAA Basketball: Ohio State at Penn State

Mar 4, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Ivan Juric (3) and guard Melih Tunca (9) defend as Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) holds the ball during the first half at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

John Mobley Jr. matched his career high with 28 points and Ohio State shot 66.7% from the field in a 94-62 rout of Penn State in State College, Pa., on Wednesday.

Mobley exemplified the hot shooting for the Buckeyes (19-11, 11-8 Big Ten) by going 8 of 9 from 3-point range, his ninth game this season with five or more treys.

Bruce Thornton scored 18 on 7-of-8 shooting, Amare Bynum had 14 (6 of 7 from the floor) and Devin Royal also contributed 14 points and nine rebounds as the Buckeyes made 34 of 51 field goals, including 16 of 23 (69.6%) from beyond the arc.

Thornton needs 12 points to pass Dennis Hopson (2,096) to become Ohio State's all-time scoring leader. He will have the opportunity Saturday when the Buckeyes host Indiana in the regular-season finale.

Freddie Dilione V and Ivan Juric led the Nittany Lions (12-18, 3-16) with 15 points each.

Penn State was without its second-leading scorer, Kayden Mingo (13.7), who had a facial injury against Iowa on Sunday. He was recovering from a broken nose.

Ohio State took a commanding 45-21 halftime lead and cruised to its fifth Big Ten road win. The Buckeyes haven't done that since the 2021-22 season, when they last played in the NCAA Tournament.

The Buckeyes were coming off an 82-74 win over No. 15 Purdue on Sunday, marking their first victory against a ranked team. This win gave them a boost in their effort to get off the bubble and solidify their spot in the NCAA Tournament, making a win over the worst team in the Big Ten essential.

Ohio State played with urgency after a sluggish start and decisively finished the game. The Buckeyes were only ahead 10-9 when Christoph Tilly (10 points) made a layup to ignite a 13-0 run, while Penn State went scoreless for more than six minutes.

The run reached 23-2 over a 10-minute span, giving a 33-11 lead, and it only got worse from there. It was 43-15 with just over a minute remaining as Penn State missed 15 of 16 shots during that stretch.

The Nittany Lions were 4 of 22 (18.2%) from the floor in the first half.

--Field Level Media

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