Buckeyes rally to seventh straight victory, 70-67

By LUKE MEREDITH
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Je'Kel Foster scored 28 points and Ohio State extended its best start in 15 years with a 18-7 run down the stretch to beat Iowa State 70-67 Saturday night.
Ohio State (7-0) hasn't been unbeaten after seven games since the 1990-1991 team, led by Jim Jackson, started 17-0 and reached as high as No. 2 in the rankings.
Down 60-52 with 6:39 left, Ohio State rallied and retook the lead, 63-62, with 1:35 left on a Ron Lewis layup. Foster hit a pair of free throws to put the Buckeyes ahead 65-64, and Will Blalock missed a runner on Iowa State's ensuing possession. Jamar Butler's free throws pushed the lead to 67-64, and Anthony Davis sealed the Cyclones' fate by airballing a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left.
Iowa State's Curtis Stinson hit a 30-foot 3-pointer as time expired.
Ohio State led by 3 following a 16-6 run to open the second half. But the Cyclones responded with a 10-0 spurt of their own and jumped back on top 55-48. That run was highlighted by an alley-oop dunk from Rahshon Clark, who caught the pass at his chest, switched hands in mid-air and dunked with one hand.
The Cyclones finished the first half on an 8-2 run and took a 39-32 lead at the break. Iowa State shot 61 percent in the opening frame and freshman Shawn Taggart, who scored just two points in Iowa State's last two games, led the charge with 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field.
Foster went 4-for-5 from 3-point range in the first half to lead the Buckeyes, who missed a number of easy baskets in the first half but went 6-for-12 from beyond the arc.
Curtis Stinson led Iowa State with 17 points, and Taggart added 13. Lewis scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes are now 4-0 all-time against Iowa State.