Jan. 13, 2016 USATSI Gallery 
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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Despite a game-high 20 points from freshman guard Corey Sanders and four players in double figure scoring, Rutgers (6-12, 0-5) fell 94-68 at Ohio State (12-6, 4-1) on Wednesday night. The Scarlet Knights played a strong opening half and held the lead at the midpoint, but were unable to retain the momentum in the second frame.
Sanders, who scored 17 points in the opening 20 minutes, was 7-of-14 from the field and 4-of-8 from behind the arc. He was supplemented by Omari Grier, who added 14 points. Sophomore forward D.J. Foreman had a season-high 13 points and led the team with nine rebounds. Bishop Daniels added 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
"Our game plan was to attack the basket, play on the perimeter, move the ball, slash and obviously have some post up schemes," said Rutgers head coach Eddie Jordan.
The Buckeyes shot 48.9 percent in the second half and established a 31-15 advantage in rebounds. As a result, OSU outscored RU 55-27 over the final 20 minutes.
"A team like that, once they taste a little blood and a little let down, they get it after it," Jordan continued. "They did a good job early in the second half...and we weren't physical enough."
JaQuan Lyle paced the Buckeyes with a triple-double (16 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists). Six Buckeyes achieved double-figure scoring totals.
Rutgers once again competed without the services of four injured frontcourt players - Shaquille Doorson, Ibrahima Diallo, Deshawn Freeman and Jonathan Laurent. The quartet has combined to miss 41 games this season due to injury.
A hot start from Sanders propelled Rutgers in the early going. The freshman drained three shots from long distance, scoring 10 points in the first five minutes for an early 14-11 Scarlet Knights advantage.
Ohio State retook the lead briefly at 20-18, but a well-executed in-bounds play pushed the momentum back to the visitors. With just two seconds left on the shot clock, Daniels collected the inbounds pass and calmly knocked down a triple. That sparked a 7-0 run for RU over a minute, pushing the Rutgers lead to 25-20.
The Buckeyes countered, but Rutgers had another quick spurt in them, a 6-0 run spurred on by four straight points from Mike Williams to take a 33-26 advantage. The defense clamped down in that stretch, forcing a four minute scoring drought for Ohio State.
The squads exchanged baskets for the final stretch of the stanza, with RU utilizing strong drives to the hoop to convert layups. Rutgers held a 41-39 lead at intermission.
Ohio State started the second half hot, opening on an 8-0 run and forcing a Scarlet Knights' timeout. The run stretched to 13-0 before Daniels hit a layup to stem the tide. The Buckeyes shot 50 percent in the first nine minutes of the second stanza (9-of-18) and stretched their lead to 61-46.
The home squad continued to increase its advantage as Rutgers was unable to execute offensively.
The Scarlet Knights return home for a Monday night contest against No. 24-ranked Purdue. The game will tip-off at 7 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
Postgame Notes
Corey Sanders had a game-high 20 points. It was his 12th time this season scoring in double-figures and the 7th time he paced RU in scoring. He scored 20 plus points for the fourth time this year.
DJ Foreman scored a season-high 13 points. He also led the team with nine rebounds.
Bishop Daniels scored in double-figures for the eighth time this season, and third in the past four games.
Omari Grier scored in double-figures for the fourth time in a Rutgers uniform. All have come in the past six games. Grier was a perfect 8-8 at the free throw line, tying his career-high in free throws made.
It was the sixth time this season Rutgers had at least four players score in double figures.
Justin Goode had a career-high six rebounds. He set a new career-best in rebounding for the third straight game.
Ohio State now holds a 2-1 lead in the all-time series. This was the first time RU played at Ohio State.
Rutgers used the starting lineup of guard Corey Sanders, guard Bishop Daniels, guard Mike Williams, guard Omari Grier and center Greg Lewis for the first time this season.
Rutgers Coach Eddie Jordan Quotes
On Rutgers' game strategy
"Our game plan was to attack the basket, play on the perimeter, move the ball, slash and obviously have some post up schemes."
On the Ohio State team
"A team like that, once they taste a little blood and a little let down they get it after it. They did a good job early in the second half doing that."
On how the Buckeyes took control of the game
"We weren't physical enough in the second half like we were in the first half and they smelt the timidness that we had and they rolled the wave."
On JaQuan Lyle
"He was the straw that stirred the drink tonight."
Ohio State Coach Thad Matta Quotes
On his half-time speech
"There weren't a lot of X's and O's at half-time it was more challenging guys to do a better job of what we needed to do, especially on the defensive end."
On the Buckeye's defense in the first half
"Defensively we were not active, not moving and not guarding. When a guy can drive from 30 feet in and shoot a lay-up, that tells me that we are not as dialed in as we need to be."
