Deshaun Thomas led the way with 24 points and Jared Sullinger added 19 points and 12 rebounds as No. 6 Ohio State opened its regular season by pounding North Carolina A&T, 102-61, on Friday.

Dallas Lauderdale chipped in 12 points and 11 boards and William Buford finished with 11 points for the Buckeyes (1-0), who knocked down 23-of-30 free throw attempts.

Ohio State led from the start, beginning the game with a 22-6 surge and taking a 52-25 edge into the break. Thomas scored 15 in the first half including a dunk with 37 seconds left on a pass from Aaron Craft. The Buckeyes did not let up in the second, starting the period on a 12-0 run capped by a pair of free throws from Sullinger.

The Buckeyes pushed it to 73-33 on Thomas’ jumper with 12:36 left and were never threatened down the stretch.

Nic Simpson and Marc Hill scored 14 points apiece for the Aggies.