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15th-ranked Buckeyes hand No. 13 Cal second straight loss

Fri 20th, November 2009

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Evan Turner finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, as 15th-ranked Ohio State took a 76-70 win over No.13 California in the consolation game of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

Jon Diebler added 14 points for the Buckeyes (3-1), who lost to sixth-ranked North Carolina on Thursday. William Buford and David Lighty scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the victory.

"It turned into a game," Turner said. "Basketball is a game of runs. Fortunately we are mature enough to keep a lead. We handled what we had to handle and we took care of business."

Jerome Randle matched Turner with 26 points, shooting 6-of-12 from beyond the arc for the Golden Bears (2-2), who were coming off a loss to unranked Syracuse on Thursday.

Patrick Christopher added 12 points, while Omondi Amoke ended with 15 boards and 11 points.

The Buckeyes held a double-digit lead at halftime, then used a 14-0 run early in the second half to take a commanding lead. Turner canned consecutive jumpers during the rally, which Buford ended with a dunk to make it a 52-28 game nearly five minutes into the frame.

But Cal got back in the game on the strength of a 17-2 run, during which Randle totaled eight points. His three-pointer with 11 1/2 minutes to play got the Bears within 54-45, and they continued to chip away at the deficit.

With under six minutes remaining, Markhuri Sanders-Frison followed Jorge Gutierrez's three-pointer with a layup to trim Cal's deficit to 63-57.

But Ohio State responded with a pair of free throws from Diebler and Turner to get the lead back to double digits, and the Buckeyes held on from there.

"We definitely played harder in the second half instead of letting them do unto us," Cal head coach Mike Montgomery said. "When that happens you are going to give yourself chances, at least to compete, which I thought we did, which is important. We, at least, learned that lesson."

Already ahead by two, Ohio State scored eight consecutive points late in the first half. Turner ended the burst with a layup to put OSU ahead 29-19 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the half, and the Buckeyes took a 38-25 lead into the break.

Game Notes

Dallas Lauderdale had eight points and seven blocks for the Buckeyes, who shot 51 percent from the field...Jamal Boykin had 11 points for Cal, which shot just 38.8 percent.