Ohio St. Buckeyes vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights Match Player Stats On Jan 14, 2018

Kam Williams tallied 11, while Kaleb Wesson added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Buckeyes (15-4, 6-0 Big Ten). They could jump into the Top 25 after validating last Sunday's blowout win over then-No. 1 Michigan State with more conference victories.

This one was almost wire-to-wire, with the Scarlet Knights (11-8, 1-5) leading for only 25 seconds midway through the first half after a layup by Eugene Omoruyi made it 9-8. Ohio State promptly responded with an 18-2 run that gave it a 15-point lead and never looked back.

The Buckeyes took their 28-15 halftime advantage and proceeded to up it to 30 in the first 6:13 of the second half. When Williams converted a rare four-point play, Ohio State led 48-18 after a 20-3 spurt and simply cruised through the game's remainder.

Even a 14-0 run by Rutgers immediately afterwards did nothing but make the final score a bit more respectable. The Scarlet Knights might have had a better chance had they been able to make more than 28.8 percent of their field-goal attempts.

Geo Baker paced Rutgers with 14 points, while Corey Sanders hit for 13. The duo combined to make 11 of 29 field goal tries. Their teammates were a pitiful 6-of-30 shooting.

The Buckeyes shrugged off a sluggish first 10 minutes and finished the evening at 46.6 percent from the field. They also got a solid all-around effort from C.J. Jackson, who flirted with a triple-double, ending with nine points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Ohio State owned the boards to the tune of 46-30. Bates-Diop matched Wesson's nine rebounds and also rejected five shots.

"Having a chance to win those first two conference games was big for us," first-year Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann said. "We have to handle pressure better, and we have to be able to play with poise in certain situations. But this is a good group to work with."

Holtmann is the first first-year coach to start 6-0 in the Big Ten since Tom Davis did it at Iowa in 1986.

--Field Level Media