Ohio State

an unspecified violation of team rules. His suspension is not likely to last beyond this game, The Dispatch has learned.

It didn’t matter much for this game. Against a Penn

State team that handed Ohio State an 83-80 loss on Dec. 9 after being outscored 46-25 in the final 15:30, the Buckeyes built a double-digit lead in the first 4:01 and did not let the Nittany Lions get within single digits until a Kanye Clary 3-pointer with 2:17 left made it 72-63.

Roddy Gayle Jr. drove, drew a foul and hit both free throws with 1:47 to end the 11-1 run by the Nittany Lions.

The Buckeyes pulled out all the stops on and off the court. Seventeen former captains, from Tom Williams (1953) through Joey Lane (2019), were honored at halftime. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was introduced during a timeout. The athletic band marched out “Script Ohio” on the hardwood at the break.

And from the opening tip, the play reflected it. Roddy Gayle, mired in a 14-for-53 shooting slump in his last four games, opened the game with a layup after Felix Okpara extended the possession with an offensive rebound. Two possessions later, he swished a jumper from the right baseline after absorbing contact. Moments later, Penn State called timeout when Mahaffey scored inside to give Ohio State a 10-0 lead.

It didn’t help the Nittany Lions, who called a second timeout with 13:26 left after Okpara finished Bruce Thornton’s lob behind the defense for a 16-0 lead. Penn State finally broke through on its next possession when Jameel Brown, with the shot clock winding, leaped, leaned and banked in a 3-pointer from the left wing on his team’s 12th shot of the game.*