It was only appropriate, on the coldest day of the century, that Penn State was a victim of the snowball effect.

Ohio State (9-7, 2-3 Big Ten) went on a devastating 16-0 run in the second half, while Penn State's shooting turned as icy as the sub-zero weather in a 79-57 loss.

"Instead of bearing down and putting on a run of our own, we came unglued," Coach Bruce Parkhill said in a radio interview after the game. "When they were making their run, we just kind of fueled the fire for them."

And it came just when Penn State (8-5, 1-3 Big Ten) was looking strong. A breakaway dunk by guard Michael Jennings knotted the game at 40, but the Buckeye guards suddenly found their mark, led by Jamie Skelton's 15 points and Derek Anderson's 12. And forward Lawrence Funderburke, who finished with a game-high 18 points, found himself open on the weak side for a number of easy lay-ups.

A short hoop by forward Charles Macon made the score 56-40 before a drive by Lion point guard Dan Earl broke the run -- ending a dry spell of six minutes, 27 seconds.

Center John Amaechi was not a factor in the second half after scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds in the first 20 minutes. And the Lions continued to grow tired and frustrated, missing shots and turning the ball over. Penn State was just 3-for-18 from the floor after Ohio State started its run.

Parkhill, meanwhile, grew frustrated with the officiating. After Amaechi drove and missed a shot amid a bevy of Ohio State hands, the coach picked up his first technical foul of the season while wandering on the court to confront an official.

"I went out on the floor, grabbing my arm," Parkhill said. "I saw a foul. But I'm not supposed to talk about the refs."

Parkhill had complained a number of times about Ohio State's rough defense underneath. But he refused to use that as an excuse.

"We gave them too many second shots, offensive boards and missed foul shots," Parkhill said. "In the second half, those things tend to catch up to you -- especially on the road."

The Lions led by as many as eight points in the first half, but the Buckeyes' hot shooting and physical play inside left Penn State looking like the out-of-synch squad that had dropped games to Indiana and Wisconsin -- not the team that upset then-No. 18 Minnesota last Saturday.

Amaechi led the Lions with 12 points, while power forward Matt Gaudio chipped in 11 and Earl scored 10.

Ohio State broke a three-game losing streak with the victory, and evoked memories of last year's game at St. John Arena, when the Buckeyes made up 15 points in the second half to win 62-59.

"We've been getting a lot of flak. We needed to play well tonight," Skelton said.

Notes:

-- Penn State was a miserable 13 of 24 from the foul line. Jennings was 1-for-6 and Amaechi was 4-for-8.

-- The Lions will travel to Iowa on Saturday. Illinois defeated the Hawkeyes 105-90 last night.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.