Jamison Battle, Ohio State hand Santa Clara first loss

Jamison Battle scored 21 points to lead Ohio State to an 86-56 win over Santa Clara on Saturday in the championship round of the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Fla.

Battle went 5-for-10 from 3-point range and led four players who scored in double figures for the Buckeyes.

Bruce Thornton had 13 points, seven assists and three steals, Dale Bonner scored 11 points and Zed Key added 10 points for Ohio State (5-1), which has won four straight games.

The Buckeyes shot 52.4 percent from the field (33 of 63) and 46.4 percent from 3-point range (13 of 28).

Adama Bal scored 13 points and Carlos Marshall Jr. had 10 points and eight rebounds for Santa Clara (6-1).

The Broncos shot 38.2 percent from the floor (21 of 55), 30 percent from beyond the arc (6 of 20) and committed 15 turnovers.

Ohio State held a 34-26 lead at halftime and quickly extended it to start the second half, going on an 8-2 run to take a 42-28 advantage with 17:52 remaining in the game.

The Buckeyes grew their lead to 22 at 55-33 with 11:49 left following a 3-pointer by Thornton.

Santa Clara tried to mount a run, cutting its deficit to 60-44 with 8:10 remaining after a layup by Bal.

But Ohio State responded with a 7-0 burst to balloon the lead back up to 23 at 67-44 with 6:17 remaining.

The Buckeyes eventually built their lead to 32 points for the first time at 78-46 following a trey from Scotty Middleton with 2:29 to go.

Ohio State established control early, jumping out to a 14-6 lead with 15:10 remaining in the first half and then taking a 24-11 lead with 9:18 to go until halftime thanks to seven unanswered points, including a triple from Battle.

Santa Clara made a small run, making it 28-22 Ohio State with 4:43 remaining in the first half.

—Field Level Media