Bruce Thornton scores 25 points as he passes Dennis Hopson as Ohio State’s all-time leading scorer in the Buckeyes’ dominant 91-78 win over Indiana.
After an emphatic win over then-No. 8 Purdue and a drubbing of Penn State on the road, Ohio State looked to continue its momentum heading into postseason play.
Watch Bruce Thornton’s full postgame remarks on becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer:
Indiana jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead to start the game. John Mobley Jr quickly broke the seal for Ohio State by sinking 2 of 2 from the line at the 18:20 mark, followed by a jumper on Ohio State’s next possession. From that point on, the Buckeyes didn’t look back.
On the successive possession, Amare Bynum intercepted an Indiana pass and then proceeded to slam with authority on the other end to put Ohio State up 6-5 early. Throughout the half, the Buckeyes’ defense forced tough shots late in the shot clock for the Hoosiers, and passing lanes were at a premium. The savvy senior captain, Bruce Thornton, intercepted the Hoosier inbound at the 15:52 to score his first two points of the game. An impressive sellout crowd at The Schottenstein Center of 18,809 erupted as Thornton began his pursuit of history.
Soon after that, John Mobley Jr pulled off a crossover move that had the crowd gasping to drill a three while being fouled, and later converted the four-point play to put Ohio State up 16-8 at the 14:40 mark. Both Mobley Jr. and Bynum dominated early, making 5 of the Buckeyes’ first 8 field goals by the 11:25 mark, and ended up combining for 25 points at the half.
Indiana went on an 8-0 run to cut Ohio State’s lead to three (28-25) by the 7:40 mark, prompting Coach Diebler to call a timeout. However, Taison Chatman snapped the Hoosier’s run by sinking a triple on the ensuing possession, followed by Bynum adding another emphatic slam at the 5:30 mark, giving Ohio State a 35-27 lead and forcing an Indiana timeout.
Ohio State’s defense remained dominant, as the Hoosiers struggled to get the shots they wanted. After another Mobley Jr. three-pointer, Ohio State led 40-29 with under 4 minutes remaining in the half. Then, the man with the cape took over. Bruce Thornton scored the final five points of the half, ending on a pull-up three to become the all-time leading scorer in Ohio State history.
Bruce Thornton’s mom going through all the emotions as she watches her son break the all-time Ohio State scoring record 🫶
College basketball is great. pic.twitter.com/edvPwW36rJ
— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) March 7, 2026
Halftime started with a ceremony in which Dennis Hopson presented the record-breaking ball to Thornton, and the sellout crowd made sure to give Bruce his flowers before heading into the locker room. Three Buckeyes entered the half in double digits (Bynum, Mobley, and Thornton), with Amare Bynum leading the way with 14.
The second half was much of the same for Ohio State. This time, on the offensive end, Bruce Thornton carried over his late-half performance and led the Buckeyes with 25 points. The Buckeyes finished with five players in double figures, continuing their recent uptick in team-wide offensive production over the past three games. Combined with a vastly improved defense, Ohio State is without a doubt playing its best basketball in March.
Indiana cut a 24-point lead to 10 with 3 minutes remaining in the contest. However, Ohio State recovered and held on for a 91-78 win to cement itself as a tournament team with its 20th win of the season before heading to Chicago for the Big Ten tourney.
This game was highly emotional from start to finish, between Senior Day festivities, Bruce Thornton shattering the scoring record in front of a sellout crowd, and Ohio State locking itself in as an NCAA tournament team. There’s also no doubt that this team has been riding a huge wave of momentum over the past three games.
When asked if making it to the dance or breaking the scoring record meant more to him, Bruce Thornton quickly answered, “Both.”
Hard not to root for a guy with this kind of attitude and demeanor 2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/O2Sls5muoQ
— Grant Kincaid (@HGKincaid8) March 8, 2026
With the potential of a longer layoff depending on seeding, it will be paramount that this team capture and sustain this mindset going into the dog days of March. If they can do that, the sky is the limit for this team.
Grant Kincaid was born in Columbus, Ohio, and raised in Dayton. He serves as Creative Director and basketball contributor at The Silver Bulletin. At one point, Grant, a collegiate baseball player, also holds a B.A. in Management and Leadership Studies. Aside from the Buckeyes, he is an avid supporter of both the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals. His favorite Buckeyes include Braxton Miller, AJ Hawk, and Ted Ginn Jr.