John Mobley Jr., Bruce Thornton help Ohio State cruise past Grambling 89-63

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — John Mobley Jr. had 20 points and Bruce Thornton scored 18 to propel Ohio State to an 89-63 victory over Grambling on Tuesday.

Mobley made 6 of 10 shots with five 3-pointers for the Buckeyes (9-3), who are 7-1 at home. Thornton shot 6 for 10 from the floor and 6 for 7 from the free-throw line.

Devin Royal scored 16 for Ohio State and Amare Bynum added 12 points and nine rebounds. Christoph Tilly had 10 points as all five starters reached double figures.

Antonio Munoz had 19 points to lead the Tigers (5-7), who are 1-7 on the road. Derrius Ward added 12 points, and Jamil Muttilib and Jimel Lane both scored 10.

All five Buckeyes' starters scored in a 10-0 run for a 14-5 lead. Ward scored four and Rickey Ballard hit a 3-pointer in a 7-0 Tigers' run that followed. Grambling hung with Ohio State until a 16-6 run over the final 4:23 gave the Buckeyes a 39-24 lead at halftime.

Ohio State made 13 of 14 shots from inside the arc but just 2 of 8 from outside before the break. Grambling shot 32% overall and missed 10 of 13 from distance in the first 20 minutes.

Ohio State upped its lead to 20 in the first five minutes of the second half. Grambling closed within 12 with 12:23 remaining, but Mobley hit back-to-back 3-pointers and the Buckeyes pulled away.

Up next

Ohio State: At Rutgers on Jan. 2 in a Big Ten Conference matchup.

Grambling: Hosts Centenary (Louisiana) on Dec. 30.

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