Forward Keita Bates-Diop scored 24 points and guard Kam Williams came off the bench to add 19 points as Ohio State defeated Rutgers 79-69 on Saturday at Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J.

Forward Jae'Sean Tate went 9 of 11 from the field and had 22 points and 13 rebounds, including five on the offensive end for Ohio State (16-10, 8-5 Big Ten).

Bates-Diop, Williams and Tate scored enough to offset a dismal day from Ohio State leading scorer forward Marc Loving, who was averaging 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Loving went scoreless on five shots from the field and had one rebound.

Guard Corey Sanders was the leading scorer for the Scarlet Knights (6-19, 0-12) with 23 points.

Ohio State opened a 14-point lead in the first half, but Rutgers was able to cut it to three at 22-19 on Sanders' dunk with just under five minutes to play in the half. Williams came off the bench and scored seven quick points as the Buckeyes built the lead back to 14 and eventually were up 35-26 into halftime.

Bates-Diop did most of the damage, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds in the first 20 minutes.

The Buckeyes maintained a double-digit lead throughout most of the second half but couldn't put the Scarlet Knights away. Rutgers closed within seven points three times during the final 20 minutes.

The Scarlet Knights' dribble penetration led to numerous easy baskets, but the Buckeyes always had an answer, whether it was Williams connecting from deep or Tate fighting for a rebound and giving the Buckeyes a second chance.

Rutgers has not won a game since Dec. 28 and now has lost 26 straight in the Big Ten dating to Jan. 11, 2015.