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Ohio State v Purdue

(CHICAGO, IL.) – The Purdue Boilermakers (28-5) overcome first half deficit to dismantle the Ohio State Buckeyes (16-19) 80-66 to advance to the Big Ten Tournament Championship.

Unlike last game where it took some time for the Boilers to knock down shots routinely, they came out scorching hot. Brandon Newman and Fletcher Loyer converted threes on the first two possessions of the game that were followed by Zach Edey deuces. In a blink of an eye, Purdue was ahead 10-4. With 13:36 to go in the first half, Purdue would lead 19-16 before Ohio State went on their only big run of the game. The Buckeyes caught fire from range to go ahead nearly double figures at 29-21 in a little over five minutes of action. Edey would then put the entire team on his back to get Purdue back in the game by scoring 12 of the next 14 points for the Boilermakers with Braden Smith scoring the other two points. After another three by OSU to retake the lead 34-33, they would not score the final 3:15 of the half. Purdue would dictate the tempo, force a couple turnovers, and close out better on Buckeye shooters. At the end of the first twenty minutes of play, Purdue would lead 42-34 after David Jenkins Jr. knocked down a triple in the final seconds. Edey led all scorers with 17 points. Caleb Furst and David Jenkins Jr. were second in scoring for the team with six points each. The two teams collectively shot 12/17 from distance with OSU shooting 7/11 and Purdue shooting 5/6.

The second half start would be cut from the same cloth as the first half from the Rutgers game yesterday. Through the first three minutes of the second half, there was a whopping six points scored between the two teams. Purdue would score four of them to take their first double digit lead at 44-34 and then again 46-36. They would push their lead to fifteen after a 9-2 run that consisted of Smith, Edey, and Newman scoring. Matt Painter’s team would go into an offensive rut for five minutes, allowing the Buckeyes to slowly get back into the game. That 15-point lead was chopped down to a seven-point lead when OSU made a deuce. Purdue would force feed the frontrunner for National Player of the Year to extend that lead back out to double figures. OSU would not go away though as they’d get their deficit back to single digits with 5:43 to go following some missed shots by Purdue. The fatigue for Ohio State started to settle in from this point forward because Purdue went on a crucial 12-2 run that allowed Painter to pull the starters early to spare them a few extras minutes on the floor. When the final buzzer sounded, Purdue would defeat Ohio State 80-66 after making some free throws and jumpers in the final 91 seconds.

TOP PERFORMERS: Zach Edey (32p, 14r), Braden Smith (14p, 5r, 5a), Brandon Newman (15p). For this afternoon’s box score, click here.

NOTES: Zach Edey recorded his 25th double-double on the season, 7th game with 30+ points (double-double in each) and ties the NCAA record in the last 20 years with 30+ points and 10+ rebounds in a season. Brandon Newman’s 15 points marked the 6th time this season scoring 10+ points and 4th game with 15+ points. Braden Smith’s 14 points gave him 10 games since January 1st with 10+ points.

NEXT UP:  Purdue will take on the winner of this afternoon’s game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and Indiana Hoosiers at 2:30pm eastern on CBS tomorrow afternoon. Purdue is 0-2 this year versus IU and 2-0 against Penn State.

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