Deshaun Thomas had a game-high 23 points and Jared Sullinger added 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as No. 2 Ohio State shook off a slow start en route to a 82-58 victory over South Carolina-Upstate on Wednesday.

The Buckeyes (9-1) trailed 21-17 with 8:05 left in the first half, but closed with a 20-7 run to take a 37-28 lead into halftime. From there, they extended the lead to as many as 25 in the second half as Thomas caught fire.

Thomas, a sophomore forward, had 12 of his points in the second half and finished 10-of-15 from the field as Ohio State played its first game since losing to Kansas 78-67 on Saturday.

In that game, the Buckeyes were without Sullinger, who was a late scratch because of back spasms. Sullinger played sparingly against Upstate and attempted only eight shots from the field.

William Buford, who has scored in double figures eight times this season, finished with 14 points for Ohio State, which forced the Spartans into 25 turnovers - including 11 after halftime.

Torrey Craig led South Carolina-Upstate with 20 points and Ricardo Glenn added 10 points and seven rebounds. No other player finished with more than eight points for the Spartans, who lost their third straight after a 6-2 start.

Eight of Ohio State’s wins have been by more than 22 points.