COLUMBUS, Ohio – Graduate transfer Jamison Battle and sophomore Bruce Thornton combined to score 46 points as Ohio State pulled-out a scrappy 76-72 win over Rutgers on Wednesday evening inside Value City Arena.

Ohio State picked up its 12^th win (12-2) of the season and moved to 2-1 in the Big Ten Conference on the year.

Thornton led the Buckeyes in scoring with 24 points on 9-15 FG (60 percent) while tying his career-high with seven assists.

Battle’s six three pointers (6-of-9) were his most this season and one-shy of a career high. His 22 points marked the third time this season where he scored 20 or more points in a game.

The Buckeyes came out firing, led by Battle who knocked down three three-pointers in the first five minutes of the game. But the Scarlet Knights would not back down, going on an 8-1 run into the second media timeout to take a one point, 20-19, lead.

Ohio State punched back and responded with their own seven-minute, 22-4 run, led by Thornton and Battle, who finished the half with five three pointers, and the Buckeyes led 45-32 at the break. OSU made nine of its first 11 three-pointers and dished out 13 assists to Rutgers’ two.

The Buckeyes and Scarlet Knights traded shots to start the second half, but Ohio State held a steady 58-46 lead by the midway mark of the half. Buckets by sophomore Roddy Gayle Jr. and Thornton would stop short runs by Rutgers.

A scrappy final 10 minutes saw Rutgers chip away at the Buckeye lead, cutting the score to 67-66 with just over three minutes left in the game. A layup from sophomore Evan Mahaffey and three pointer by Gayle Jr. would give the Buckeyes enough of a cushion and Gayle Jr. iced the game from the foul line to secure the 76-72 win.

The Buckeyes will hit the road this weekend and will play at Indiana on Saturday evening. The game is the FOX Primetime Game of the Week and will tip at 8 p.m.

• Jamison Battle made six three-pointers, marking his fourth game this season and third consecutive, with at least five three-pointers.
• The last Buckeye to make five or more three-pointers in three consecutive games was Jon Diebler who did it in four-straight from Nov. 24 to Dec. 5, 2009.
• The last Buckeye with six three-pointers in a game was Malaki Branham in an overtime win at Nebraska on Jan. 2, 2022.
• Battle’s 22 points marked his third 20-point game of the season and the 27^th of his career.
• Bruce Thornton posted his fifth 20-point game of the season and has now gone over 600 points in his career.
• Thornton had three turnovers in the first 8:50 of the game, marking a season-high. But he didn’t record a turnover the rest of the way and finished with a career-high tying seven assists.
• Felix Okpara extended his consecutive games with a block to 20.
• With the win, Ohio State remains undefeated at home against Rutgers, winning all eight meetings at Value City Arena.
• The Buckeye made 11 three-pointers, reaching double-figure threes for the sixth time this season.