Ohio State Buckeyes at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Bruce Thornton scores 20, moves up Ohio State scoring list in Buckeyes' 80-73 victory over Rutgers
Thornton made 8 of 13 shots with two 3-pointers for the Buckeyes (10-3, 2-1 Big Ten Conference). Thornton moved three points ahead Jay Burson, who scored 1,756 from 1985-89. Jim Jackson (1989-92) is next with 1,785. Thornton also grabbed 10 rebounds for his third double-double this season.
Devin Royal finished with 16 points and four assists, while John Mobley Jr. scored 12 with four assists for Ohio State.
Reserve Tariq Francis had 17 points to lead the Scarlet Knights (7-7, 0-3). Dylan Grant scored 14.
Francis hit two 3-pointers and scored 15 to help Rutgers take a 41-37 lead into halftime. Reserve Brandon Noel scored all 14 of his points before the break for Ohio State — on 5-for-5 shooting from the floor and a 4-for-4 effort at the free-throw line.
Francis hit a jumper to begin the second half, but Royal dunked, Thornton hit a jumper and Mobley sank a 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 run as Ohio State took a 44-43 lead with 17:26 remaining.
Grant answered with a 3-pointer, but Mobley hit another 3 to spark an 8-1 run and Ohio State led 55-47 with 14 minutes left.
Kaden Powers' fastbreak dunk gave the Scarlet Knights a 61-60 lead with nine minutes to go. There were five lead changes and two ties until Royal's three-point play put Ohio State up 70-67 and the Buckeyes led over the final 5:23.
Rutgers: Hosts Oregon on Monday.
How can I watch Ohio State vs. Rutgers?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 80 - 73 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 80 - 73 |
| 2nd 0:06 | Jamichael Davis makes 18-foot jumper | 80 - 73 |
| 2nd 0:15 | Christoph Tilly makes 4-foot dunk (Devin Royal assists) | 80 - 71 |
| 2nd 0:23 | Gabe Cupps subbing in for Ohio State | 78 - 71 |
Statistics
 OSU |
 RUTG |
|
|---|---|---|
| 27-52 | FG | 27-64 |
| 52 | Field Goal % | 42 |
| 7-16 | 3PT | 6-22 |
| 44 | Three Point % | 27 |
| 19-23 | FT | 13-17 |
| 83 | Free Throw % | 76 |
| 33 | Rebounds | 31 |
| 13 | Offensive Rebounds | 18 |
| 20 | Defensive Rebounds | 13 |
| 15 | Assists | 14 |
| 5 | Steals | 9 |
| 2 | Blocks | 3 |
| 12 | Turnovers | 8 |
| 2 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 12 | Total Turnovers | 8 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 10 | Points Off Turnovers | 9 |
| 6 | Fast Break Points | 6 |
| 40 | Points in Paint | 30 |
| 15 | Fouls | 19 |
| 9 | Largest Lead | 15 |
| 12 | Lead Changes | 12 |
| 46 | Percent Led | 46 |
Game Information
Location: Piscataway, NJ
Attendance: 8,000 | Capacity:
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | 7-0 | - | 18-0 |
| Purdue | 7-0 | - | 17-1 |
| Michigan | 6-1 | 1 | 16-1 |
| Michigan State | 6-1 | 1 | 16-2 |
| Illinois | 6-1 | 1 | 15-3 |
| Wisconsin | 5-2 | 2 | 13-5 |
| Ohio State | 4-3 | 3 | 12-5 |
| UCLA | 4-3 | 3 | 12-6 |
| USC | 3-4 | 4 | 14-4 |
| Iowa | 3-4 | 4 | 13-5 |
| Indiana | 3-4 | 4 | 12-6 |
| Minnesota | 3-4 | 4 | 10-8 |
| Washington | 2-5 | 5 | 10-8 |
| Rutgers | 2-5 | 5 | 9-9 |
| Oregon | 1-6 | 6 | 8-10 |
| Penn State | 0-6 | 6.5 | 9-8 |
| Maryland | 0-6 | 6.5 | 7-10 |
| Northwestern | 0-7 | 7 | 8-10 |