Lighty scores 21 as Ohio St. beats Miami (Ohio), now 5-0

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

David Lighty wasn’t even aware it was his 100th collegiate victory until someone told him.

Yet he played like he wanted it to stand out from the other 99.

The fifth-year senior scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half to lead third-ranked Ohio State past Miami (Ohio) 66-45 on Friday night.

“I was bricking everything in the first half,” Lighty said with a laugh. “You put a couple up, eventually they’ll go in. I was hitting them and my teammates found me so it was a good thing for us.”

He didn’t sound as if he would set aside a lot of room in his scrapbook for getting to 100-25 for his career.

“It’s an accomplishment,” he said. “I’ve been here for a while, so you’re going to get a lot of wins I guess. But you’ve got to keep going.”

Lighty, who missed most of the 2008-09 season after breaking his foot, also had to recover from another broken bone in his foot before this season.

He hit all four of his 3-point shots after the break to spur a lethargic Ohio State (5-0) offense.

Coach Thad Matta was glad Lighty asserted himself.

“It sort of fell in his hands,” he said. “We got the ball moving there a little bit and a couple of the actions we ran freed him up and allowed him to go. It was big to see him get going like that.”

Freshmen Deshaun Thomas and Jared Sullinger added 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Sullinger, in particular, made a difference when he hit four easy baskets inside after taking lob passes. It helped establish Ohio State’s superiority inside.

“Sullinger is one of the smartest kids I’ve ever seen as a player,” said Miami coach Charlie Coles. “He’s [former Notre Dame start] Adrian Dantley at 6-8. Dantley was 6-4. That’s who that kid is. He’s not the best freshman in the country — he’s a top 10 player in the country. Right now.”

Orlando Williams had 13 points and Julian Mavunga 11 for Miami (2-4), which lost its third in a row.