UCLA men drop opportunity vs. Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio — John Mobley Jr. scored a career-high 28 points and knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers as Ohio State pulled away in the second half for an 86-74 win over UCLA on Saturday.

Bruce Thornton added 21 points and eight rebounds, while Devin Royal finished with 22 points and nine rebounds for the Buckeyes (12-5, 4-3 Big Ten).

For UCLA (12-6, 4-3), it was the kind of Big Ten matchup that could make a difference its pursuit of an NCAA tournament berth.

Ohio State erased a six-point first-half deficit by closing the half on a 12-6 run to take a 42-36 lead at the break. Mobley and Royal opened the second half with consecutive 3-pointers, stretching the margin to 48-36 less than two minutes in.

The Bruins cut the deficit to 54-40 midway through the half, but the Buckeyes responded with an 8-3 spurt capped by Mobley’s 28-foot 3-pointer that made it 66-49 with 10:31 remaining. Ohio State led by double figures the rest of the way.

Mobley shot 8 of 15 from the field and 6 of 12 from behind the arc and added three assists without committing a turnover in 38 minutes. Thornton went 7 of 7 from the free-throw line, and Ohio State finished 21 of 25 at the line while outrebounding UCLA 37-27.

Tyler Bilodeau scored 30 points on 9-of-19 shooting for UCLA (12-6, 4-3), his seventh 20-point game of the season and second career 30-point performance. Donovan Dent added 13 points and seven assists, and Eric Dailey Jr. scored 12 for the Bruins, who shot 40% from the field.

Up Next

UCLA hosts fifth-ranked Purdue on Tuesday.