Battle, Okpara lead Ohio State to a 67-60 win over UCLA in opener of Atlanta doubleheader

ATLANTA (AP) — Jamison Battle scored 14 points, including a huge 3-pointer in the final minute, and Felix Okpara made two key baskets down the stretch to lead Ohio State to a 67-60 victory over UCLA on Saturday.

Roddy Gayle Jr. led the Buckeyes (9-2) with 19 points in the opener of the CBS Sports Classic, a doubleheader played at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. No. 9 North Carolina faced No. 14 Kentucky in the second game.

UCLA (5-4) lost its second in a row and fourth in six games. The Bruins, who shot 38% from the field and made just 1 of 9 from 3-point range, were paced by Sebastian Mack with 14 points.

The 6-foot-11 Okpara took control on the inside, dunking off an alley-oop pass from Bruce Thornton at the top of the key with 2:47 remaining to give the Buckeyes a 57-51 lead.

After Dylan Andrews scored for UCLA, Okpara came up big again when Gayle missed a jumper from the baseline. The big man tipped in the rebound even while being fouled by Mack, restoring Ohio State's six-point edge.

UCLA made one last push on Mack's jumper, cutting the gap to 59-56, but Battle swished a 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining. Gayle knocked down five free throws to finish off the Bruins.

Ohio State bounced back from a loss at Penn State last Saturday with all but one starter scoring in double figures. Thornton had 13 points and Okpara finished with 10.

For UCLA, Andrews scored 13 points and Adem Bona chipped in with 12.

UP NEXT

UCLA: Hosts Cal State Northridge on Tuesday and Maryland on Friday to close out its nonconference schedule.

Ohio State: Returns home to face New Orleans on Thursday in the Buckeyes' final game before a nine-day holiday break.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here

___

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll