Game Recap: Buckeyes Down Host Penn State in Big Ten Opener

Ohio State moves to 6-2 on the season after convincing triumph in University Park.

The Ohio State Buckeyes launched Big Ten Play with a fairly comfortable road win Sunday night, overcoming an initial deficit to post a 76-64 victory against the host Nittany Lions inside the Bryce Jordan Center.

As a result, the battle-tested Buckeyes now stand 6-2 on the season after recently playing three-straight opponents (Seton Hall, Florida and Duke) ranked in the national poll.

HOW IT WENT DOWN:

* Penn State threw its best (and strongest) punch right from the gate, going on a 12-0 run behind leading man Seth Lundy and his nine quick points.

* To no avail, Ohio State admirably settled in on a 14-3 run of its own with aggressive offense. Six Buckeyes made at least one shot from long range prior to intermission, where the Scarlet and Gray led 41-30.

* OSU bumped the gap to 18 (52-34) early in the second half on a layup from Jamari Wheeler... and held a double-digit cushion all the way until Penn State got within single digits at the 5:04 mark...

* Nevertheless, a timely trifecta from Meechie Johnson on the left side with 3:53 left pushed the visitor lead back to 10. PSU continued fighting, actually getting back within 67-61, before a huge corner triple from Justin Ahrens with 2:15 remaining effectively sealed the deal.

STATS THAT MATTERED:

* Kyle Young was incredibly efficient, dropping a game-high 16 points on a perfect 4-of-4 outing from behind the arc. He also led the team with seven rebounds.

* Freshman Malaki Branham added a season-high 11 points, shooting 5 of 9 from the field.

* The Buckeyes held a 27-5 edge in bench scoring.

* Lundy settled with 13 points for Penn State, only scoring four across the final 36 minutes of game time. He briefly went to the locker room in the first half.

* Ohio State now leads the all-time series by a 39-18 count.

-----

You may also like:

Halftime Analysis: Ohio State vs. Penn State Basketball

Ohio State to Face Utah in Rose Bowl Game

Ohio State Moves to No. 6 in College Football Playoff Rankings

Ohio State Club Football Team Wins Second-Straight National Championship

Jae-Sean Tate's Career Night Lifts Houston Rockets

Photos from Ohio State's 71-66 Win Over Duke

-----

Be sure to stay locked into BuckeyesNow all the time!

Join the BuckeyesNow community!
Subscribe to the BuckeyesNow YouTube channel
Follow Adam on Twitter: @APrescott614
Follow BuckeyesNow on Twitter: @BuckeyesNowSI
Like and follow BuckeyesNow on Facebook