COLUMBUS -- Aaron Craft apparently had seen enough of Jackson State hanging around.
He stepped on the gas pedal, revved his team's engine, and together they left the Tigers in their wake.
The sophomore point guard and defensive pest forced a pair of turnovers 10 seconds apart tonight that keyed an 18-0 run by the Ohio State men's basketball team and propelled the No.3-ranked Buckeyes to an 85-41 victory in Value City Arena.
Jared Sullinger collected his first double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds in just 21 minutes to lead the Buckeyes (3-0). Craft finished with five steals to spearhead a defense that had 15 thefts and forced 26 turnovers.
Deshaun Thomas and William Buford had 11 points apiece, and Jordan Sibert had 11 points off the bench, including all three of the Buckeyes' three-point field goals, in his most extensive action of the season.
Given the opportunity, Ohio State coach Thad Matta played his bench for most of the second half, auditioning reserves for a spot in a deeper rotation than the one he played in the Buckeyes' victory over No.7 Florida on Tuesday night. Only Sibert and Evan Ravenel played more than three minutes off the bench in the 81-74 win over the Gators.
Shannon Scott had five assists and three steals for Ohio State, and Ravenel had six points, three assists and two rebounds.
Matta said the day before the game that he would like to be comfortable with a rotation as deep as nine players by sometime in December. Ohio State begins the Big Ten season Dec. 28 at home against Northwestern.
Kelsey Howard led Jackson State (0-4) with 17 points. The Tigers' leading scorer entering the game, Jenirro Bush, was held to six points, nearly nine less than his average.
Jackson State kept the score close for awhile, leading 11-10 inside of 14 minutes in the first half before an offensive-rebound basket by Sullinger gave Ohio State the lead for good with 13:43 left. That's when Craft took matters into his own hands.
He forced back-to-back turnovers with a steal and by taking a charge to ignite a run that reached 18 consecutive points before the Tigers put their next score on the board. Jackson State had six of its 16 first-half turnovers during a 3 1/2-minute span in which the Buckeyes increased their lead from 12-11 to 26-11.
Craft finished the first half with four of Ohio State's eight steals. The Buckeyes scored 23 points off Jackson State turnovers and led 46-17. Sullinger finished the half with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
It was the fourth consecutive lopsided defeat for Jackson State, all on the road. The Tigers lost their season opener 99-59 at Florida, fell 92-59 at Baylor on Sunday and lost 56-39 at Wright State on Wednesday.
Ohio State, meanwhile, won its third straight game in the season-opening Global Sports Shootout, a four-game tournament that counts as only one against the NCAA maximum of 28 regular-season games. The Buckeyes will finish the tournament Monday night against North Florida in Value City Arena.
Ohio State plays its first eight games of the season at home before visiting Kansas on Dec.10. The next game against a major opponent is Nov.29 against Duke in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
First Published November 19, 2011, 6:34 a.m.
