Ohio State fends off Iowa behind Bates-Diop's big night

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Keita Bates-Diop scored 27 points with 13 rebounds, Jae'Sean Tate had 18 points and Ohio State cruised past Iowa 92-81 on Thursday night, its seventh win in its last eight games.

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Kam Williams scored 13 points for the surging Buckeyes (12-4, 3-0 Big Ten), who also notched their sixth road win in their last eight tries at Iowa.

Ohio State jumped all over the Hawkeyes (9-8, 0-4) at the outset, grabbing a 17-point lead late in the first half. Iowa went on a 12-0 run to climb within five early in the second half, but the Buckeyes' lead was back up to 15 after a 10-0 run.

C.J. Jackson had 12 for Ohio State.

Tyler Cook scored 21 points with nine boards and Jordan Bohannon had 15 points with 10 assists to lead Iowa, which has dropped two straight.

THE BIG PICTURE

Ohio State: The Buckeyes took advantage of Iowa's poor defense to get into a rhythm on offense early on and build an edge the woeful Hawkeyes couldn't overcome. This was almost a perfect tune-up for Sunday's massive home game with No. 1 Michigan State.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes let their opponent get off to a hot start for the second game in a row, as Ohio State jumped ahead by 10 less than eight minutes in. Iowa's defense has been brutal in its last two games, a sign of a young team but also a sign that the bottom might soon be falling out for this season- if it hasn't already. Iowa is 0-4 in the league, and three of those games were at home.

UP NEXT

The Buckeyes host the Spartans on Sunday.

The Hawkeyes play at Maryland on Sunday in first of three straight road games.