Jae’Sean Tate and Keita Bates-Diop each had double-doubles to help Ohio State fend off Northern Illinois, 67-54, at Value City Arena.
Northern Illinois (7-2) tied the game on two occasions during the second half before the Buckeyes (5-5) finally put a run together. With the score tied at 44, the Huskies grabbed possession after a Keita Bates-Diop three-point miss, but Buckeyes freshman guard JaQuan Lyle nabbed the ball and quickly fed Tate in the post. He scored, drew the foul and finished the three-point play, and after a Northern Illinois miss at the other end Kam Williams buried a three-pointer to push the lead to a game-high six points.