Buckeyes hold onto first-place share with win at Illinois, 72-53

Ohio State sinks Illinois with threes, 72-53

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Jon Diebler scored 18 points, hitting six 3-pointers, to lead No. 13 Ohio State to a 72-53 win over Illinois on Sunday.

After falling behind by one early, the Buckeyes (20-6, 10-3 Big Ten) used an 18-6 run to finish the Illini (17-9, 9-4) off early.

By the end of the run Ohio State led 21-10 with 11:48 to play. The Buckeyes were up 36-20 at the half and never led by less than 13 over the final 20 minutes.

Demetri McCamey led Illinois with nine points — nearly seven short of his average.

The win kept the Buckeyes in a first-place tie in the Big Ten with Michigan State. The Illini fell from the top spot and are a game back of the leaders.