STATE COLLEGE — Left open in the corner, Sam Thompson found an uncontested path to the basket along the baseline and contorted his body around 6-foot-9 center Sasa Borovnjak for a layup and three-point play.

With Big Ten-leading scorer Deshaun Thomas having an off day, the lithe 6--7 Thompson stepped up Saturday for No. 14 Ohio St.

He scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, and the Buckeyes took advantage of cold-shooting Penn State for a 65-51 victory.

“I really did the easy part,” the sophomore said. “Guys found me, I was wide open, and I just knocked down some shots.”

Jermaine Marshall had 16 points for the Nittany Lions, who have lost 18 straight to the Buckeyes. Thomas finished with 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting, well below his league-leading average of 20.5.

Thompson picked up the slack from the field for Ohio State (15-4, 5-2 Big Ten), while Lenzelle Smith Jr. helped put away pesky Penn State by hitting 5 of 6 from the foul line over the final 4:13.

An 11-minute stretch without a field goal in the first half hurt the Nittany Lions (8-12, 0-8).

“If you told me that we’d hold Deshaun Thomas to 11 points, I’d tell you we’re in the game with a chance to win,” coach Patrick Chambers said.