Guard Keita Bates-Diop scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked four shots, and Ohio State brought its "A" game on defense as the Buckeyes defeated Penn State 66-46 Monday at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Bates-Diop, who came into the game averaging 11.4 points per game, surpassed that total in the first half alone with 13 points.

The Buckeyes, who lost three of their previous four games, moved the ball with crisp passing and shot 46.2 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from 3-point range.

Ohio State (13-8, 5-3 Big Ten) also flexed its muscles on the boards, outrebounding the Nittany Lions, 41-31.

Penn State, averaging 66.7 points per game, was held well below its season average. The Nittany Lions sank just 20 of 60 field-goal attempts and made only four of 25 3-point attempts.

Guard Brandon Taylor led Penn State (11-10, 2-6) with 11 points.

Forwards Jae'Sean Tate and Marc Loving also reached double figures for the Buckeyes, scoring 15 points and 11 points, respectively. However, it was Bates-Diop who set the tone of the game for the Buckeyes. The sophomore finished 8-for-14 from the floor, and he sparked a first-half run that put the Buckeyes up 33-26 lead at halftime.

The Buckeyes controlled the first half and opened up a 29-15 lead before Penn State scrambled back to get within striking distance.

Any hope the Nittany Lions had vanished late when they went the final seven minutes scoreless until a meaningless basket accounted for the final score.

The Nittany Lions missed their first 14 shots from beyond the arc. Forward Donovon Jack finally sank a 3-pointer with a little more than two minutes left in the first half to make the score 31-21.