COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Bruce Thornton scored 25 points and had seven assists, John Mobley Jr. and Amare Bynum each added 18 points, and Ohio State defeated Indiana 91-78 in a Big Ten regular-season finale on Saturday night.
The Buckeyes (20-11, 12-8) rode a strong shooting performance to the win, making 59% of their shots, 46% from deep, and 88% of their free-throw attempts. Thornton was 7-of-9 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the line. Bynum hauled in nine rebounds to lead all players, along with two steals and one block.
Ohio State shook off a slow start with runs of 6-0 and 8-0 in the first half, scoring 50 before halftime and taking a 17-point lead into the break.
Thornton entered the contest 12 points away from becoming the Buckeyes’ all-time leading scorer, and a 3-pointer with 44 seconds remaining in the first half put him into the Ohio State record book ahead of Dennis Hopson, who was on hand to present Thornton with the ball used to break the record.
Lamar Wilkerson led the Hoosiers (18-13, 9-11) with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Tucker Devries added 17 points and five assists, and Sam Alexis, who hit all five of his shot attempts had 14 points.
Up next
Indiana is the No. 10 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will play on Wednesday.
Ohio State has earned a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament, and will be either the No. 7 or No. 8 seed. The Buckeyes will open play on Thursday.
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