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Ohio State Defeats Michigan 71-52 In Big Ten Showdown

By CRAIG MERZ/Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - D'Angelo Russell scored 21 points, Sam Thompson added 12 and Ohio State defeated Michigan 71-52 on Tuesday.

The Buckeyes (14-4, 3-2 Big Ten) also got 10 points from Amir Williams while Shannon Scott had eight assists to go along with seven points.

Caris LeVert scored 14 points and Zak Irvin had 11 for the Wolverines (10-7, 3-2), who had a two-game winning streak end.

Any chance the Wolverines had of erasing a 39-24 halftime deficit was lost when they went cold and the Buckeyes took a 52-24 lead.

Neither team could score the first three minutes of the second half before the Buckeyes strung 13 in row. Four came via two Russell drives, another two points were inside by Amir Williams and Scott tossed the ball up for a Thompson slam and a 47-24 lead with 15:15 remaining.

Scott made a basket and free throw and Kam Williams followed with a bucket off a Scott assist and the lead reached 28.

Meanwhile, the Wolverines missed their first 13 shots before a rebound tip by Max Bielfeldt 7 { minutes into the final half.

Michigan methodically crept back to within 14 with three minutes to play on a half hook by Mark Donnal but the Buckeyes' Marc Loving made it 67-50 with a 3-pointer.

The game started well for Michigan. It led 14-13 on a rebound basket by Aubrey Dawkins but Ohio State's defense kicked in and the Buckeyes outscored the Wolverines 26-10 over the final 12 minutes.

A 3-pointer from Russell gave the Buckeyes a 16-14 lead to start a 15-2 run that included 11 straight points. Field goals from Amir Williams, Thompson, Kam Williams and a rebound bucket by Jae'Sean Tate made it 24-14 before LeVert stopped the streak with a trey.

But the Buckeyes' man press resulted in four points in seven seconds. Thompson's basket was followed by his steal and feed to Scott for a 30-17 advantage with 5:18 to play.

While the Wolverines responded with a 3-pointer by Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, that was followed by another Thompson steal, one of four by him in the first half, and pass to Tate for a 32-20 lead.

The Buckeyes scored 13 points off turnovers in the half compared to four for Michigan, and outscored the Wolverines 11-0 on the fast break.

During the game's first timeout, the Ohio State football team was recognized less than 24 hours after beating Oregon 42-20 in the inaugural College Playoff championship game in Arlington, Texas. No team members or coaches were present.

TIP-INS:

Michigan: LeVert, the Wolverines' leading scorer and rebounder, is from the Columbus suburb of Pickerington and attended Central High School along with Ohio State's Tate, who is a freshman. LeVert is a junior. ... LeVert and redshirt freshman forward Mark Donnal (Monclova) are the Ohioans on the roster.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes have two players from Michigan - senior centers Trey McDonald (Battle Creek) and Amir Williams (Detroit). ... Williams has started 17 games this season; McDonald none.

UP NEXT:

Michigan: The Wolverines host Northwestern on Saturday to start a stretch of three of four games in Crisler Arena. Michigan plays at Rutgers Jan. 20 in the first game against the Scarlet Knights since they joined the Big Ten. The Wolverines return home Jan. 24 vs. Wisconsin and three days later hosts Nebraska.

Ohio State: Tuesday was the lone home game of a five-game stretch. The Buckeyes won at Minnesota on Jan. 6 and lost at Indiana on Saturday in the most recent games. OSU returns to the road this Saturday against Indiana and goes to Northwestern on Jan. 22.

© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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