Bruce Thornton scored a career-high 38 points to lead Ohio State to a 94-68 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday.
Thornton made 14 of 17 field goal attempts, finished 5 of 8 from 3-point range and made all five free throws to break his previous record of 33 against Indiana State set on December 29. The senior guard also had five rebounds and five assists and scored 19 points in each half.
John Mobley Jr. tied his career high with five 3-pointers among his 19 points while Christoph Tilly had 15 points for the Buckeyes (2-0).
Mikale Stevenson scored a career-high 21 and DeAndre Craig Jr. contributed 18 points for the Mastodons (0-2). Stevenson had 20 against the College of Biblical Studies on December 20, 2024.
The Buckeyes were coming off a season-opening scoring record in a 118-102 win over IU Indianapolis on Monday, in which they were long on offense and short on defense.
Ohio State got off to an eerily similar start to the first game as the Buckeyes made their first eight field goal attempts, including five 3-pointers, and took an early 22-15 advantage.
This time, the Buckeyes took a 17-4 lead by scoring all seven baskets, including three from behind the arc.
Thornton, named earlier this week as the first four-time captain in the program’s 127 years, made his first five shots, including two triples, for 12 points midway through the first half.
He scored the Buckeyes’ final seven points in the first half for a 45-30 lead, which grew to 17 in the first three minutes of the second half before the Mastodons showed their resilience again.
The Mastodons cut the lead to 57-50, just as they trailed by 22 at halftime at Grand Canyon before scoring nine points only to lose 90-71 in their opener.
But Purdue Fort Wayne couldn’t get any closer than the Buckeyes, and Thornton’s 3-point basket with seven minutes remaining made the score 78-57.
–Field level media
