Purdue Falls To Ohio State 82-74 In Huge Win; Bruce Thornton Scores 2,000 Points

Purdue is a highly ranked team, but has now fallen to Ohio State three games in a row. Ohio State got its second Quad 1 win at exactly the right time. Ohio State got balanced scoring from its stars to win the game.

Also, in this game, Ohio State star Bruce Thornton scored 20 points. He now has 2,000 for his career. It is now officially March Madness. Is there any way now that the Selection Committee will keep OSU out of the NCAA Tournament?

Purdue Loses To Ohio State

Ohio State led the game against Purdue for 28 minutes, as the Buckeyes got a huge win, 82-74, against the Boilermakers. They are now 2-10 against Quad 1 teams. The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee is concerned with these types of wins. They are now 18-11 and 10-8 in the Big Ten Conference. Purdue fell to 22-7 overall and 12-6 in the Big Ten.

Purdue and Ohio State Scoring Summary

Ohio State led at halftime in this game, 36-31. It was an uneven effort getting there. Ohio State knew it had to win because this was its last game of the regular season against a ranked opponent.

First Half

Purdue led in the first seven minutes of the game and hit a bunch of three-point shots that gave them the lead. Guards Fletcher Loyer and CJ Cox both hit three-pointers, and Purdue led 16-9 early.

However, the Buckeyes bounced back. Mobley and Christoph Tilly pulled the Buckeyes equal at 16. Then, after Purdue hit another three-pointer, Ohio State went on a 7-0 run that made the lead 23-19. Center Ivan Njegovan, subbing in for Tilly, gave Ohio State an unexpected source of momentum. He had blocked a shot and then collected an offensive rebound and dunked it.

Purdue hit a couple of three-pointers, but Thornton scored on an acrobatic layup to put Ohio State up 36-31 at halftime.

Second Half

Ohio State came out of the locker room after halftime with an obvious desire to crush the Boilermakers. They went on a 12-3 run. Ohio State led 50-36 at the first media timeout of the half.

Then, Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 7 points to pull Purdue back within 7. But then Thornton hit two three-pointers sandwiching a Boilermaker layup. Then, Ohio State went off to the delight of the crowd.

Thornton got the lead back to double digits on a one-legged elbow jumper. A steal and layup by Taison Chatman fed into a circus Mobley Jr. three-pointer as he fell to the floor. Two Devin Royal free throws pushed the lead to 16 points.

Purdue went on a 7-0 run and then some more scoring, trimming the Ohio State lead down to 6 points. However, that was as close as the Boilermakers got. Ohio State scored some more baskets, and Royal put an exclamation point on things with a putback slam that made it 74-63 Ohio State with 1:40 to play. A standing ovation welcomed Thornton to the free-throw line with 20 seconds left.

Player Of the Game

The player of this game was Mobley Jr., who has never lost to Purdue. He led all scorers in this game with 21 points. It was good for the Buckeyes that he played well. He overshadowed his Thornton, who had 20 points and had more than 2,000 points in his career.

Turning Point

The turning point of this game was when Thornton scored on a layup right before halftime. That score sent Ohio State to the locker room with a 36-31 advantage. That might have been the most important basket of the Ohio State season, as the Buckeyes needed to win this game.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ohio State won this game 82-74. It was an important win for the Buckeyes as their tournament hopes depended on winning. Mobley Jr. was the player of the game. The turning point of this game was Thornton hitting an acrobatic layup right before halftime. Ohio State now has two games remaining. They next play at Penn State on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Purdue travels to Northwestern on Wednesday as well.

Parting Shots

This was an important win for Ohio State, whose NCAA Tournament hopes went from nonexistent to competitive. They are now listed as one of the last four in. They must win their last two regular season games to remain in that category.