National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Ohio St. 79, North Dakota State 62
When: 8:15 PM ET, Saturday, December 14, 2013
Where: Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Officials: # Chris Beaver, # Lewis Garrison, # Doran Gotschall
Attendance: 15272
By SportsDirect Inc.

No. 2 Ohio State 79, North Dakota State 62: Lenzelle Smith Jr. led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds as the Buckeyes dispatched the visiting Bison.

LaQuinton Ross scored 18 points for Ohio State (10-0), which shot 10-for-20 from 3-point range, including three each from Ross and Smith. Sam Thompson and Marc Loving added 12 points apiece for the Buckeyes, who are 10-0 for the second time in four years.

Taylor Braun led the Bison with 21 points while Marshall Bjorklund chipped in with 12. The Bison were outrebounded 36-26 and shot 5-for-17 from 3-point range.

Ohio State steadily built its lead in the first half as Ross racked up 13 points and Smith scored 10. The Buckeyes finished the half on a 10-2 run to bring a 41-28 advantage to the locker room.

Loving was the leader in the second half, knocking down three 3-pointers on his way to nine points after the break. The Buckeyes built their biggest lead - 25 - on Ross' jumper with 4:32 to play.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Aaron Craft racked up seven assists to become the Buckeyes' all-time leader with 581, surpassing Jamar Butler's 579. ... Ohio State C Amir Williams suffered a lower leg injury early in the second half, but returned and finished with four points and nine rebounds. … Bjorklund has scored in double figures in eight straight games.
Top Game Performances
 
North Dakota State   Ohio St.
Taylor Braun 21 Scoring LaQuinton Ross 18
Lawrence Alexander 2 Assists Aaron Craft 7
Taylor Braun 5 Rebounds Amir Williams 9
Taylor Braun 4 Free Throws Made Sam Thompson 5
Taylor Braun 1 Steals Shannon Scott 3
TrayVonn Wright 2 Blocks Marc Loving 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
North Dakota State 62 42.3 5-17 13-20 8 24 2 1 7
Ohio St. 79 52.9 10-20 15-21 16 33 1 5 11