Bellbrook graduation 2012
Fairfield Senior 2012 graduation
Kroger Aquatic Center opens
Simmons helps Buckeyes snap three-game slide
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
COLUMBUS — Jeremie Simmons, benched for the first time all season, came off the bench to score 14 points and lead a second-half surge as Ohio State beat Penn State 73-59 Tuesday, Feb. 24, to end a three-game losing skid.
Simmons scored the last five points of the first half to give Ohio State a lead, then hit three 3-pointers as the Buckeyes (18-8, 8-7 Big Ten) took control by scoring 25 of the game's final 35 points.
P.J. Hill, who replaced Simmons to start for the first time in his 49th game at Ohio State, had a career-high 13 points. So did freshman center B.J. Mullens. Another freshman, William Buford, added 11 points, all in the first half.
Evan Turner, second in the Big Ten in scoring at 17.2 points per game, did not score in the opening 32 minutes and finished with just six points. But he had a career-high eight assists to go with six rebounds.
Jamelle Cornley had 11 points, with Stanley Pringle, Talor Battle and Andrew Jones each scoring 10 for the Nittany Lions (19-9, 8-7).
The game was a critical showdown between teams who may end up vying for one of the last spots in the NCAA tournament from the Big Ten.
Ohio State, ahead by two at the half, led 37-32 after a 3 and a rebound follow by Hill, the smallest player on the court at 6-foot-1.
With the Buckeyes still up 39-34, Cornley hit a layup off a give-and-go with Pringle, Jones hit two foul shots and Battle looped in a lengthy 3 over a defender's outstretched arm for a 41-39 Penn State lead. Pringle's 3 after the Lions retained possession with an offensive rebound pushed the lead to 44-39.
Simmons fueled Ohio State's comeback.
His back-to-back 3s from the left corner gave Ohio State a 51-49 lead. Moments later, Turner grabbed a missed shot and arched a high baseline jumper for his first points of the game with just under 8 minutes left. At the other end, Penn State missed two shots, with Turner finally getting the rebound and throwing a long pass to Mullens who had somehow snuck in for a layup behind the Lions' defense.
Mullens was then awarded two free throws when he and Battle bumped into each other, and he hit both shots. After Battle air-balled a 3, Mullens hit a layup to make it 59-49 and push the Ohio State run to 11-0.
