COLUMBUS, Ohio -- No. 16 Ohio State got its conference schedule started off on the right foot with a 79-59 win over Minnesota on Sunday night.

The Buckeyes — who hadn’t played since a 72-62 loss to Syracuse in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday — used a 21-2 run in the first half and never looked back, leading by as many as 23 points. They never trailed. Defensively the Buckeyes seemed to get back to their identity, holding the Golden Gophers to 39.2 percent shooting, including 0 of 13 on its 3-point attempts.

Ohio State had six players score in double figures. Andre Wesson had 16 to lead OSU, and sophomore Kaleb Wesson added 15. Senior C.J. Jackson and sophomore Musa Jallow scored 11 points each. Sophomore Kyle Young and freshman Duane Washington Jr. each added 10 points.

Junior guard Amir Coffey led Minnesota (6-2, 0-1 Big Ten) with a game-high 19 points, while senior guard Dupree McBrayer added 13 points.

What’s Next

The Buckeyes improved to 7-1 and 1-0 in the Big Ten. Ohio State will travel to Chicago on Wednesday to take on Illinois (2-6, 0-1 Big Ten). Tip-off at the United Center is at 7 p.m.