Ohio State thumps The Citadel behind Bates-Diop's 17

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Kam Williams and Keita Bates-Diop each scored 17 points as Ohio State won its fifth straight game with a 94-65 win over The Citadel on Tuesday night.

[btn-post-package-v2]

C.J. Jackson added 13 points and Andrew Dakich 10 for the Buckeyes (10-3).

Kaiden Rice had 14 points, and Alex Reed and Zane Najdawi added 11 apiece for the Bulldogs (5-7).

Ohio State led 44-23 at the half and built the margin to 39 at 88-49 with five minutes left.

The Bulldogs were 12th in the nation in scoring at 89.3 points per game but much of that is predicated on getting points from their press and hitting shots. They had neither working when OSU took a 21-point halftime lead.

BIG PICTURE

The Citadel: The Bulldogs usually start two freshmen and two sophomores and have had as many as four frosh players on the court at the same time, so there continues to be growing pains. Six of the 12 players are freshmen. The Citadel is one of seven Division I schools without a senior on the roster.

Ohio State: After making 3 of 14 3-pointers in the previous game against Appalachian State, the Buckeyes made some improvement by hitting 13 of 35 (37 percent) vs. the Bulldogs.

UP NEXT

The Citadel: The Bulldogs take a holiday break before beginning Southern Conference play Dec. 30 with a home game against Western Carolina. The Citadel, picked to finish in a tie for seventh in the conference in the coaches' preseason poll, is 4-2 at home.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes will take a major step in the level of competition when the play No. 5 North Carolina (10-1) at New Orleans in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday. Ohio State's only game against a ranked opponent was an 86-59 loss to then-No. 17 Gonzaga on Nov. 23 in Portland, Oregon.