COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Buckeyes did something they hadn’t done since the middle of December: win consecutive games.

The Buckeyes displayed an energy and purpose that had been absent through the month of January. Following a much-needed victory over Northwestern, the Buckeyes were able to bring its winning ways back home to down Indiana 68-59.

The Buckeyes rode a 39-point bench performance to victory against Northwestern. D.J. Carton was able to pour in 17 of those points, but the freshman decided to step away from the team in order to take care of his mental health.

"The wide vast majority of our fans I know are so unbelievably supportive of him and that, and I want to just thank our fanbase for that," Chris Holtmann said on Carton's decision to take time away from the team.

On the court, the Buckeyes needed to step up in Carton's absence. By moving the ball and hitting the glass, the Buckeyes were able to get revenge against Indiana. Ohio State finished the game with 19 assists and a 31-24 rebound advantage.

It was Kaleb Wesson who would set the tone to start the game. The junior would score the opening six points for Ohio State. Wesson would finish the game with 15 points and 11 rebounds, marking the 15th double-double of his career.

"I thought Kaleb Wesson was terrific on both ends," Holtmann said. "It's his work, he's got to continue to stay in great shape. I thought he created some real opportunities for other guys. I thought he protected the rim pretty well."

Offensively, Ohio State would open the game strong by hitting 4-of-5 shots.

A scoring drought stretching more than six minutes would put the Hoosiers in a hole midway through the first half. Despite the lull, the Hoosiers would only trail 15-9 with 10:32 remaining in the half.

It was the passing from Ohio State that helped them to be more efficient on the offensive side of the ball. The Buckeyes would assist on nine of their first 10 baskets.

"When we had our little adversity, we weren't moving the ball, it kinda stuck a lot, so I figure we're going back to our old ways," C.J. Walker said on the ball movement. "Everyone is being unselfish, everyone is believing in each other."

The passing proved even more beneficial once the Buckeyes began dialing in the shooting from long range. After hitting only one of five from three to open the contest, the Buckeyes would hit its next two threes to help extend the lead to 12 points.

Despite all the good looks, the Buckeyes were unable to knock down shots to bury Indiana in the first half. Ohio State would shoot 42.9 percent from the field in the first half and 23.1 percent from downtown. Ohio State would miss its last six threes to end the half.

After a banked-in three from just inside half court was put in by Devonte Green at the buzzer, the Buckeyes advantage was cut down to nine points through 20 minutes of play. While ending the half with an impressive shot, the Hoosiers would struggle to shoot all half, making only 40 percent of their shots.

Kaleb Wesson would resurrect his scoring surge to open the second half, hitting a trio of shots to keep Indiana at bay. His brother, Andre Wesson, was able to knock down his second triple on the day to keep Ohio State’s hot shooting going; he would finish the game with three shots made from downtown.

The Buckeyes would open up the second half hitting 5-of-6 shots.

Unlike the first half, the Buckeyes would torch the nets from deep in the second half, hitting on 7-of-14 shots from three.

One of the players responsible for the three-point barrage was Justin Ahrens. Following an impressive 12-point performance against Northwestern, Ahrens was able to provide a 11-point lift from the bench against the Hoosiers.

"You can't leave Justin he's going to kill you," Kaleb Wesson said. "That's what he did today, hit shots for us and that was big."

The Hoosiers would be unable to make the game close down the stretch, and Ohio State would cruise to its fourth win in the Big Ten.

The Buckeyes will be back in action when they travel to take on Michigan on Tuesday. The game will tip at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.