CJ Walker scored a game-high 18 points, Kaleb Wesson added 13 points and 14 rebounds, and D.J. Carlton finished with 13 points to lead a balanced effort as No. 11 Ohio State earned an 80-68 victory over Nebraska on Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio.
The Buckeyes (12-5, 2-4 Big Ten) had six players finish in double figures to end a four-game overall losing streak and a three-game conference losing skid.
The Cornhuskers (7-10, 2-4) had a strong second half but could not recover from a slow first half in which they shot 31.4 percent from the field and committed nine turnovers.
Thorir Thorbjarnarson scored 15 points and added six rebounds for Nebraska. Yvan Ouedraogo, Cam Mack and Jervay Green each scored 10 points.
The Buckeyes followed their first-half formula of a fast start to pull away early in the second half. E.J. Liddell buried a 3-pointer to give the Buckeyes a 49-31 lead. Walker helped put the game out of reach with eight straight points for a 68-34 lead with 8:24 remaining in regulation, capping a 12-0 Ohio State surge.
The Buckeyes led 9-7 in the early minutes but Walker's layup ignited an 12-2 run that ended with a layup by Liddell with 9:02 left in the first half. Kyle Young scored six straight points in less than two minutes, including a highlight-reel dunk, to pad the lead to 30-15.
Two minutes later, Ohio State's Justin Ahrens drilled a 3-pointer, off an assist by Young, to raise the advantage to 36-20.
The Cornhuskers scored five straight points to cut the gap to 36-25, but Ahrens hit a 3-pointer with one second left for a 38-25 edge at halftime.
The Buckeyes shot a fiery 54.5 percent from the floor overall, including 10 of 22 on 3-point attempts. The Cornhuskers were 9 of 22 from long range but made only 42.4 percent of their field-goal attempts overall.
--Field Level Media
Nebraska | Ohio St. | |
Thorir Thorbjarnarson 15 | Scoring | CJ Walker 18 |
Cameron Mack 6 | Assists | D.J. Carton 5 |
Thorir Thorbjarnarson 6 | Rebounds | Kaleb Wesson 14 |
Yvan Ouedraogo 2 | Free Throws Made | D.J. Carton 3 |
Dachon Burke Jr. 1 | Steals | CJ Walker 2 |
Cameron Mack 2 | Blocks | D.J. Carton 2 |