No. 18 Ohio State 77, Illinois 61: Freshman D'Angelo Russell scored 22 points to lead the way as the host Buckeyes pulled away from the Fighting Illini late.

Marc Loving tallied 13 points and eight rebounds for Ohio State (12-3, 1-1 Big Ten), which has won four straight meetings overall and six in a row at home. Sam Thompson added 13 points and Shannon Scott had nine points, five assists and four steals for the Buckeyes.

Rayvonte Rice collected 20 points and seven rebounds for Illinois (10-5, 0-2), which is 0-2 in conference play for the first time since 2007-08. Kendrick Nunn scored 10 points and Malcolm Hill added eight as the Illini dropped to 1-18 against ranked Ohio State teams on the road.

Illinois scored the first four points of the second half to stretch its lead to five and went up 44-41 on Kendrick Nunn's 3-pointer with 16:34 left before going scoreless for nearly 5 1/2 minutes as Ohio State took control. Russell hit a 3-pointer that pulled the Buckeyes even and scored eight points during a 15-0 run, after which Ohio State led by double digits for the remainder of the game.

The Buckeyes shot 59.1 percent in the first half but trailed 37-36 at the break thanks to nine turnovers and a lackluster defensive effort. Rice poured in 14 first-half points and the Illini went 8-for-15 from 3-point range before intermission, but they were 1-for-9 from long range in the second half.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Ohio State improved to 100-9 at home since the start of the 2009-10 season, the most home victories in the nation during that span. … The Buckeyes have topped 70 points in 13 of their 15 games this season while Illinois dropped to 1-5 when allowing 70 or more. … The Illini committed 20 turnovers, and all nine players who entered the game were responsible for at least one.