No. 13 Buckeyes hold on to beat Wildcats

Deshaun Thomas scored 22 points and No. 13 Ohio State used a late 12-0 run to beat Northwestern 69-59 on Thursday night, the Buckeyes' 32nd consecutive home win against the Wildcats. Lenzelle Smith Jr. added 12 points – all in the first half – with Sam Thompson adding 11 and Amir Williams a career-high 10 for the Buckeyes (18-6, 8-4 Big Ten).

Pesky Northwestern (13-12, 4-8) led throughout the second half despite having only seven scholarship players due to injuries.

Catch up on all the action on our Big Ten scoreboard and get video, stats and recaps in this post.

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Spin dunk by Sam Thompson.

Sam Thompson breaks free for the dunk.

Sam Thompson dunks again.

Reggie Hearn drives but the ball doesn't go in.

Deshaun Thomas finishes a three-on-one.

Tre Demps hits a shot before halftime.

Amir Williams dunks.

Trey McDonald dunks.

FINAL: No. 13 Ohio State trailed in the waning moments of Thursday's game, but took the lead for good on a field goal by Deshaun Thomas with with 3:03 to go and hung on for a 69-59 triumph over Northwestern at Value City Arena in Columbus. Thomas sparked the Buckeyes, as he had 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds for Ohio State in the game. The Buckeyes tallied 15 assists on 25 baskets. Ohio State was able to secure 22 offensive boards. More Ohio State scoring came from Amir Williams (10 points), Sam Thompson (11 points), and Lenzelle Smith, Jr. (12 points). Mike Turner scored four points, yanked down four rebounds, contributed nine assists, and knocked down 2-of-2 shot attempts for the Wildcats in a losing effort.

HALFTIME: No. 13 Ohio State and Northwestern are in a back-and-forth game that went to the break tied at 30-30. The lead was exchanged six times in the first 20 minutes, and Northwestern led for a good part of the first half.The Buckeyes applied the pressure in the first half, earning second-chance opportunities with 10 offensive rebounds, to just three for the Wildcats. Seven Ohio State players scored in the first half. Northwestern played team basketball in the first half, to the tune of eight assists on 12 field goals. Lenzelle Smith, Jr. is putting together a nice game so far for Ohio State. The junior has 12 points and three rebounds. Reggie Hearn led the way for the Wildcats in the first half, with 10 points.