COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kaleb Wesson had a career-high 31 points as No. 15 Ohio State overcame a terrible start and beat Youngstown State 75-56 on Tuesday night.
Wesson was dominating in the second half, scoring 26 points as the Buckeyes were again forced to win in come-from-behind fashion. The sophomore topped his previous career-best 22 points, achieved in Saturday’s game against Bucknell.
The Buckeyes (10-1, 2-0 Big Ten) shot poorly in the first half and were forced to rally against a mid-major opponent they should have handled easily from the beginning.
Ohio State trailed 25-22 at the half, but took the lead with a Wesson put-back three minutes into the second half and took control from there.
Luther Muhammad and C.J. Jackson each had 11 points for Ohio State, which has won three in a row after losing their only game of the season Nov. 28.
Darius Quisenberry had 17 points, and Naz Bohannon added 11 for the Penguins (5-9), who have lost five of their last six.
The first half was a nightmare for Ohio State. The Penguins went on a 14-2 run to open the game as the Buckeyes missed shot after shot. Ohio State shot 24 percent from the floor and 1 for 11 from beyond the 3-point line before intermission. The score was so close mostly because Youngstown State wasn’t much better, hitting just 33 percent of its shots.
Wesson took a seat with 5:40 left in the first half when he picked up his second foul and got his third early in the second half before going on a scoring tear.
BIG PICTURE:
Youngstown State: Took advantage of Ohio State’s poor shooting to lead the entire first half, but couldn’t keep up once Wesson and the Buckeyes got themselves unglued.
Ohio State: After nearly losing to Bucknell on Saturday, the Buckeyes took another opponent too lightly and were getting stung for a while. They are making too many mistakes against teams they should be dominating.
UP NEXT:
Youngstown State: Hosts Detroit Mercy on Dec. 28.
Ohio State: At UCLA on Saturday.

Ohio State box
No. 15 OHIO ST. 75, YOUNGSTOWN ST. 56
YOUNGSTOWN ST. (4-9)
Bohannon 4-9 0-0 11, Maxwell 3-6 0-0 7, Anabir 0-1 0-0 0, Quisenberry 6-12 5-7 17, Covington 1-5 0-0 2, Pedersen 0-0 0-0 0, Akuchie 0-0 0-0 0, Holcombe 0-1 0-0 0, Sally 0-0 0-0 0, Simmons 3-8 1-2 10, Bofenkamp 0-0 0-0 0, Morgan 1-5 0-0 3, Cathcart 0-1 0-0 0, Hamperian 0-1 0-0 0, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0, Hampton 2-6 2-2 6. Totals 20-55 8-11 56.
OHIO ST. (10-1)
Young 2-2 1-2 5, K.Wesson 10-14 11-13 31, A.Wesson 2-6 0-0 4, Muhammad 4-10 1-2 11, Jackson 3-9 3-4 11, Ahrens 0-0 0-0 0, LeDee 0-2 0-0 0, Woods 3-5 2-2 9, Hummer 0-0 0-0 0, Washington 2-7 0-0 4, Lane 0-0 0-0 0, Jallow 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-56 18-23 75.
Halftime—Youngstown St. 25-22. 3-Point Goals—Youngstown St. 8-20 (Bohannon 3-3, Simmons 3-4, Maxwell 1-2, Morgan 1-4, Covington 0-1, Quisenberry 0-3, Hampton 0-3), Ohio St. 5-19 (Muhammad 2-4, Jackson 2-5, Woods 1-2, LeDee 0-1, Jallow 0-1, Washington 0-2, K.Wesson 0-2, A.Wesson 0-2). Fouled Out—Maxwell. Rebounds—Youngstown St. 26 (Hampton 8), Ohio St. 35 (K.Wesson, Jackson 7). Assists—Youngstown St. 8 (Quisenberry 4), Ohio St. 17 (Jackson 7). Total Fouls—Youngstown St. 24, Ohio St. 13.