COLUMBUS — After a tough win Thursday at Northwestern, coach Thad Matta was hesitant to say that Ohio State might be hitting its stride. Sunday afternoon, Matta was willing to grant that things are trending in that direction. Freshman D’Angelo Russell scored 22 points and added 10 assists for his second double-double of the season and the Buckeyes (16-5, 5-3 Big Ten) knocked off No. 23 Indiana 82-70 in front of 17,322 fans at Value City Arena for their first winning streak in conference play. “Let’s see what we can do from here,” Matta said. “Today was a step in the right direction.” The Hoosiers (15-5, 5-2) hit their first eight shots of the game but committed 15 turnovers as their four-game winning streak was snapped despite 26 points from junior guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell. The Buckeyes weathered the early storm and pushed their lead as high as 10 in the first half and it was Russell who quelled the final Hoosier threat. After a Ferrell jumper made it 56-50 with 10:26 remaining in the game, Russell knocked down a pair of 3-pointers while battling leg cramps to double Ohio State’s lead with 8:58 remaining. Indiana got no closer than seven points for the remainder of the game. “I guess they forgot about me because I was letting the game come to me,” said Russell, who came out with 2:42 remaining. “I felt the cramps coming in so I had to be careful.” Freshman Jae’Sean Tate scored a career-high 20 points, sophomore Marc Loving added 12 and senior Shannon Scott had 10 and was praised by Indiana coach Tom Crean, who predicted he will “play in the NBA for a very long time.” Ohio State finished with 26 points off of Indiana turnovers. The 15 giveaways by the Hoosiers were their third-highest total of the season and tied for their most in conference play. Eleven of them came during the first half and five during a 10-0 Buckeyes run that put them ahead for good at 25-19. For the second straight game, Matta replaced senior center Amir Williams with Anthony Lee and Loving with Tate in his starting lineup. Indiana entered the game averaging 11.1 turnovers — the second-lowest mark in the Big Ten — while Ohio State’s average of 16.6 forced turnovers was second-best. …
Continue Reading: College Basketball: Ohio State finding a groove, beats Indiana for 2nd straight win
