LaQuinton Ross scored a career-high 22 points to lead cold-shooting No. 4 Ohio State to a 70-43 victory over Northern Kentucky on Saturday.
Ohio State (5-1) rebounded from a 73-68 loss to No. 2 Duke on Wednesday night in which the Buckeyes led most of the way but faded at the finish. They had another bad shooting game against the Norse (0-5), making only 38 percent of their shots.
Deshaun Thomas added 14 points, and Sam Thompson scored 10 for the Buckeyes, who opened an eight-game homestand.
Jalen Billups had 11 points for Northern Kentucky, in its first year in Division I. The Norse haven’t beaten a Division I team in a regular-season game since a 66-64 win over Tennessee State on Jan. 14, 1984.
The lead remained around 20 points throughout the second half.
Ohio State improved to 72-2 at home against non-conference opponents in coach Thad Matta’s nine seasons. The Buckeyes have won 35 in a row in Columbus against non-Big Ten teams since losing to West Virginia on Dec. 27, 2008. The last 12 wins have been by at least 20 points.
Northern Kentucky (0-5) made its Division I debut with four games in five days at a tournament in San Diego last month. The Norse led in the second half of all four games, and lost twice by four points.
The Buckeyes were hardly at their best – having trouble on the boards and not shooting well – but led 36-22 at the half.
Ross, averaging 6.8 points a game, already had surpassed his career high of 11 with 13 first-half points.
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