Columbus, OH (My Sportsbook) - Evan Turner led five Buckeye players in double-figures with 18 points, and Ohio State continued its hot play with a 64-58 victory over 19th-ranked Minnesota.

Turner also grabbed 10 rebounds for the Buckeyes (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten), who have won four straight. Jon Diebler and William Buford each had 11 points, and Jeremie Simmons and B.J. Mullens both posted 10 points in a winning effort.

"It was a hard fought college basketball game," said Ohio State head coach Thad Matta. "Our guys did a good job playing with our game plan. I think five guys in double figures mean we played an unselfish basketball game. We executed what we had in mind when we played zone and one-on-one."

Blake Hoffarber scored 19 points -- all in the second half -- on six three- pointers for the Golden Gophers (18-5, 6-5), who have dropped two straight games. Damian Johnson added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Colton Iverson contributed eight points in the loss.

"Well, the game was a good character test after we were humiliated at Michigan State," Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith said. "Our kids showed a lot of heart and strength in a game where we thought we were still in it."

Leading by three to start the second half, the Buckeyes slowly extended their lead, going up 46-36 after back-to-back three-pointers from Simmons and Diebler with just under nine minutes left in the game.

However, Hoffarber made three-pointers on the Gophers' next three possessions, and he continued to be deadly from beyond the arc, making two more -- including one four-point play -- to cut Minnesota's deficit to 55-52 with 3:46 remaining.

Mullins' putback slam put Ohio State up by five, but Johnson grabbed a rebound after teammate Paul Carter missed two free throws, sinking a jumper to make it 57-54 with 1:28 on the clock.

Turner made both of his free throw attempts with 1:04 showing to put the Buckeyes back up by five, and Al Nolen missed the front end of a 1-and-1 for Minnesota. Ohio State grabbed the rebound, Turner sank two more from the line, and the Buckeyes held on for the victory.

It took nearly three minutes for either team to score to start the game, and Minnesota built up an early 13-7 lead on Carter's dunk 8 1/2 minutes into the contest.

Ohio State answered with 10 straight points, as Turner's two free throws capped the run with nine minutes left in the opening half.

Trailing 25-17 later in the half, Minnesota used a 9-2 run to get to within one point on Johnson's layup in the final minute. Turner responded with a basket before halftime, and Ohio State led 29-26 at the break.

Game Notes

The teams split the season series, 1-1...The Buckeyes made 42.3 percent from the field, while Minnesota shot 40.7 percent.