Penn State Falls To Ohio State 84-78 As John Mobley Jr. Stars
Penn State lost to Ohio State 84-78 last night as John Mobley Jr. scored 25 points for the Buckeyes. Ohio State blew an 18-point first-half lead, but came back to win the game.
Mobley Jr. made 7 of 14 shots against Penn State with five 3-pointers, and he made all six of his free throws. After the win, the Buckeyes are 14-6 overall and 6-4 in the Big Ten Conference. He also added 5 assists and 3 steals. Do you think he is a star for this team?
Penn State and Ohio State Scoring Summary
The Buckeyes led Penn State 50-32 at halftime, and they almost blew that lead in the second half. In the second half, Penn State outscored Ohio State 46-34. At one point, Penn State got within one point.
Ohio State got fairly balanced scoring in this game against Penn State. Amare Bynum added 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Devin Royal had 14 points, and sophomore bench player Taison Chatman scored a career-high 11 points. Bruce Thornton only scored 9 points. He needs two more points to pass Michael Redd for sixth place on OSU’s all-time scoring list.
More Detailed Scoring Summary
In the first half, Ohio State began to pull away from Penn State on three-pointers by Chatman and Mobley Jr. The Buckeyes lead 19-9 with 11:12 left in the first half.
The duo teamed up again to give Ohio State a 27-15 lead with 7:46 left in the first half. Bynum scored five consecutive points for the Buckeyes, as Ohio State took a 44-28 lead with 1:48 left in the first half. The teams went back and forth a bit before Thornton hit a jump shot in the waning seconds of the first half, to go into the locker room with a 50-32 lead.
In the second half, Penn State came back. Ivan Njegovan, subbing in for Christoph Tilly, who missed this game, scored a few points, but the Nittany Lions scored much more. Penn State came within one point of the Buckeyes at 60-59 with 10:46 left in the game. However, Thornton, Mobley Jr., and Royal expanded the Buckeye lead to 69-61 with 8:22 remaining in the game.
In the second half, neither team went on a big run, and Penn State kept hitting three-pointers and free throws with the clock stopped. Those two things kept them in the game as Ohio State tried to pull away. The Buckeyes backed into an 84-78 win.
Turning Point
Because Penn State kept coming back in the second half, the turning point of this game came late. Mobley Jr. hit two free throws with 17 seconds left to give Ohio State an 82-76 lead. It was not until then that we knew Ohio State was going to win.
Most Valuable Player
Thornton of Ohio State is the star of the Buckeyes, but he only had 9 points in this game. For the third game in a row, Mobley Jr. was the most valuable player. He finished with 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most valuable player of the game was Mobley Jr. He had a game-high 25 points. He was the top-scoring option for the Buckeyes. He does not take bad shots. The game between Ohio State and Penn State went right down to the wire, so the turning point of the game was Mobley’s free throws with just 17 seconds left to play.
For Penn State, Eli Rice had 20 points and made a couple of big three-pointers for the Nittany Lions down the stretch. Ohio State next plays at Wisconsin on Saturday at 2 p.m. Penn State next plays against Northwestern on Thursday.
Parting Shots
This game was a little worrying for Ohio State. Penn State was dead and buried in the first half, losing by 18 points when the half ended. Yet, the Buckeyes allowed the Nittany Lions to get back in the game in the second half. This is a team Ohio State should beat handily. Ohio State next plays Saturday at Wisconsin. This is a good road test for the Buckeyes. Wisconsin has a similar record to theirs. We will continue to find out if Ohio State is a viable NCAA Tournament team.
