Undermanned Ohio State needed a late burst to pull away from Texas Southern and claim an 82-64 non-conference victory on Thursday night in Columbus, Ohio.

After the Tigers shrugged off a double-digit deficit to pull within 59-57 with 6:58 to play, the Buckeyes reeled off 13 points in a row during a 2:30 stretch to preserve the win.

For Ohio State (3-0), which had just eight scholarship players available, junior forward Keita Bates-Diop posted his third straight double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Sophomore center Micah Potter and senior forward Jae'Sean Tate scored 17 points apiece. Freshman guard Musa Jallow celebrated his first college start by scoring 10 of his 13 points in the first half.

Texas Southern (0-3) placed four players in double figures, led by graduate student guard Donte Clark's 17 points. Trayvon Reed, a 7-foot-2 junior center, and junior guard Derrick Bruce contributed 14 points apiece.

Ohio State built a comfortable 42-29 lead at halftime while holding Texas Southern to 30 percent shooting. But the Tigers got hot and capitalized on Ohio State foul trouble to get as close as 59-57 on Robert Lewis' 25-footer with 6:58 to play.

Texas Southern regained possession with a chance to take the lead, but Lewis airballed a 3-pointer from the corner. Ohio State ran the floor for a layup by Potter that triggered the decisive 13-0 run.

Ohio State played without freshman Kaleb Wesson. Coach Chris Holtmann announced before the game that Wesson was suspended for the game due to "a failure to meet the expectations of the men's basketball program."

Texas Southern played without sophomore point guard Demontrae Jefferson, the reigning SWAC Player of the Week and the team leader in scoring (21.0 ppg) and assists (3.5 apg), because of suspension.