OHIO STATE Opponent 'Dials' a wrong number

Mercer had no one to match up with Terence Dials, in OSU's 102-77 win.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Terence Dials is making Ohio State's postseason ban a lot less painful.
Dials, the Boardman High product, dominated inside with a career-high 29 points and 13 rebounds, to lead Ohio State to a 102-77 victory over Mercer on Wednesday night.
The win was the fourth in a row for Ohio State (9-2) -- all since athletic administrators announced the team would not play in the postseason because of NCAA violations which occurred under former coach Jim O'Brien.
"Him diving for the ball in front of our bench, taking a charge -- his mind-set has changed," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said of Dials. "He's saying, 'I've got more in me than I've shown.' "
Nearly a triple-double
Mercer coach Mark Slonaker knew that his Bears would have matchup problems with the bruising Dials. He was right.
"They're a very explosive offense. I know we didn't want to get into a one-on-one game with Dials," he said. "It's great to see a kid blossom like he's blossomed. He's really a force down there."
Tony Stockman flirted with the first triple-double ever for Ohio State, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
"He wasn't too far from a quadruple-double," Matta said with a laugh, referring to Stockman's six turnovers.
J.J. Sullinger added 16 points, Ivan Harris 13 and Je'Kel Foster 11 for Ohio State.
Dials, the reigning Big Ten player of the week, has set career highs in scoring twice during the Buckeyes' winning streak. In those four games, he is averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds a game.
"I've just been trying to stay aggressive," he said. "My teammates have been doing a great job of getting me the ball. I haven't had to make too many moves. Easy baskets get you going."
The 6-foot-9 center hit 12-of-15 shots from the field and 5-of-7 free throws.
Jacob Skogen scored 19 points and Will Emerson had 15 for Mercer (5-2).
"We're a low-major team," Slonaker said. "But at the Big Ten level, they [the Buckeyes] are going to pose a lot of problems for teams."
Buckeyes fell behind early
The Bears used an 8-0 run to take a 24-19 lead midway through the opening half, with Skogen and Andrew Walker hitting 3s and Wesley Duke powering in a follow.
It took Ohio State time to finally find Dials inside. When the Buckeyes did, they went to him on every trip down the floor. He followed his own miss to tie the game at 26, then later scored seven points in a row to give Ohio State a 36-31 lead.
That Dials-led surge was part of an 11-0 run, breaking a tie at 31 and capped by Dials' backdoor layup off an assist pass from Sullinger. Mercer never got closer than 13 in the second half.