Marc Loving scored 20 points and JaQuan Lyle had 13 assists, and Ohio State pulled away from Minnesota for a 78-63 win on Wednesday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
Keita Bates-Diop added 13 points and Jae’Sean Tate 10 for the Buckeyes, who are 9-5 with a five-game winning streak.
Carlos Morris scored 18 points, Jordan Murphy 11 and Nate Mason 10 for the Golden Gophers (6-7).
Kam Williams came off the bench to score five points to spur a 21-5 Buckeyes run that turned a 45-44 lead into a 66-49 advantage with six minutes to play. Loving had five points and reserve center David Bell four points during the stretch.
Ohio State led 37-34 at the half after leading by as many as 16.
