Associated Press, November 16, 2017

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Keita Bates-Diop, Jae'Sean Tate and Micah Potter scored 17 points apiece to help Ohio State hold off Texas Southern for an 82-64 win Thursday night.

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Bates-Diop added 12 rebounds. Musa Jallow had 13 points and four steals in his first career start and C.J. Jackson scored eight with nine assists for Ohio State (3-0). The Buckeyes held a 39-30 rebounding edge.

Jallow punctuated a 16-2 run with his third 3-pointer to give the Buckeyes a 75-59 with 3:55 remaining in the game. Ohio State led by 18 points with 17:12 to go, but Texas Southern used a 24-8 run to pull within four points with 6:58 left. Donte Clark scored eight points during the stretch. He finished with 17 points, hitting 8-of-9 free throws.

Both teams struggled to find consistent offense early. But Ohio State began to pull ahead when Jallow's dunk sparked a 16-2 run which made it 33-17 lead with 3:57 remaining in the half. The Tigers made just 1 of 8 field-goal attempts during the stretch. The Buckeyes entered the half leading 42-29.

Sophomore guard Demontrae Jefferson, who scored at least 20 points in each of Texas Southern's first two games, did not play. Ohio State freshman forward Kaleb Wesson missed the game, serving a one-game suspension.

BIG PICTURE:

Ohio State: The Buckeyes pick up their third straight double-digit victory to kick off the season. They play one more game against an unranked opponent before facing No. 17 Gonzaga.

Texas Southern: After falling to Gonzaga and Washington State to begin the season, the Tigers lost a third straight road game. This is just the beginning of a tough 13-game nonconference road stretch to begin the season.

UP NEXT:

Ohio State: Continues its home stretch against Northeastern on Sunday.

Texas Southern: Plays at Syracuse on Saturday