STATE COLLEGE — Ohio State’s Thad Matta tied a school record for coaching victories Wednesday night and quickly noted that players such as D’Angelo Russell make him a better coach.

Russell scored 28 points and No. 23 Ohio State’s 77-67 victory over Penn State placed Matta in a tie with Fred Taylor with 297 wins against 91 defeats in 11 seasons with the Buckeyes. A victory Sunday over No. 6 Wisconsin would give Matta (399-122) his 400th career win. That was why he didn’t cite any special significance just yet for his coaching numbers.

Russell sparked Matta’s record-tying win. He was 8 of 16 from the field, 5 of 8 from 3-point range and 7 of 11 from the free-throw line. He added six rebounds and three assists.

Jae’Sean Tate and Shannon Scott each added 13 points for the Buckeyes (22-8, 11-6 Big Ten).

Seniors D.J. Newbill (17 points) and Ross Travis (14) led Penn State (15-15, 3-14) during their final home game for the Nittany Lions. Newbill eclipsed the 2,000-point mark for his career; he has 2,011.