John Mobley Jr. poured in a game-high 25 points as Ohio State held off a late Penn State surge for an 84–78 win Monday night.
Mobley shot 7-for-14 from the field, knocking down five three-pointers and converting all six of his free throws. He added five assists and three steals to help the Buckeyes improve to 14–6 overall and 6–4 in Big Ten play, surviving after seeing a 50–32 halftime lead trimmed to one possession in the second half.
Amare Bynum chipped in 15 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Devin Royal finished with 14 points. Off the bench, sophomore Taison Chatman delivered a career-high 11 points, and Bruce Thornton added nine as he closed in on Ohio State’s all-time scoring list.
With Christoph Tilly sidelined, sophomore Ivan Njegovan earned his first career start. The 7-foot-1 center scored all eight of his points after halftime, grabbed three rebounds and recorded two blocks before fouling out.
Penn State mounted its comeback behind Eli Rice, who connected on six three-pointers and scored 20 points to lead the Nittany Lions. Ivan Juric posted a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Josh Reed and Melih Tunca each added 13.
Ohio State jumped out quickly, opening the game on a 22–11 run and extending the advantage to 18 points at the break after late three-pointers from Mobley and Chatman.
Penn State answered early in the second half, using a 22–8 run fueled by three triples from Rice to cut the deficit to 58–54. Reed later completed a three-point play to make it a one-point game, but Mobley responded with a pair of free throws and a key three-pointer to steady the Buckeyes down the stretch and secure the win.
