Ohio State relies on first-half run to cruise past Western Michigan

Christoph Tilly led five Ohio State players in double figures with 17 points and the Buckeyes routed Western Michigan 91-58 in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday.

John Mobley Jr. had 15 points, Amare Bynum had 12 and Devin Royal added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Buckeyes (5-0).

Ohio State senior guard Bruce Thornton scored 11 points and has 1,599 to move to 12th on the program's all-time scoring list.

Brady Swartz came off the bench for the Broncos (2-4) to score 20 and Jayden Brewer contributed 12.

The Buckeyes used a devastating 34-10 run to pull away after a slow start to lead 49-24 at halftime. It would have been worse if not for the Broncos scoring the final five points, capped by a 3-pointer from Swartz at the buzzer.

To keep up with a team at Ohio State's level, the Broncos needed to shoot well and take care of the ball. They did neither during the Buckeyes' blitz.

The Broncos scored six straight points to pull within 18-12 before everything fell apart.

Ohio State went on a 17-0 run over a 5:26 stretch during which Western Michigan committed five turnovers and missed all four field goals.

The first half numbers reflected the domination. The Buckeyes scored 18 points off eight turnovers; the Broncos got three points from five Ohio State miscues, and the Buckeyes shot 53.1% from the floor compared to 26.7% for the Broncos.

Just as telling, Western Michigan made eight field goals while the Buckeyes made seven 3-pointers.

Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference have played a Big Ten team in eight straight seasons and will also visit Iowa on Dec. 14.

The Broncos' last win against a Big Ten opponent was 56-52 at Michigan on Nov. 30, 2002.

The Buckeyes and Broncos have a common next foe. Western Michigan hosts Mount St. Mary's on Sunday, while Ohio State completes a six-game homestand against the Mountaineers of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference on Tuesday.

-- Field Level Media