After trailing by as many as 12 points, Ohio State rallied to beat Purdue, 65-61, Sunday night at the Schottenstein Center.
| 1 | 2 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PURDUE | 35 | 26 | 61 |
| OHIO STATE | 23 | 42 | 65 |
With under a minute to play, D'Angelo Russell slipped past Rapheal Davis, the Purdue guard and contorted his body to roll in a layup and take a one-point lead.
Shannon Scott, the senior guard, and Kam Williams, the redshirt freshman, each knocked down a pair of free throws to seal the victory.
| PURDUE | STAT | OHIO STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | POINTS | 65 |
| 23-52 (44) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 19-48 (40) |
| 8-18 (44) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 2-12 (17) |
| 7-13 (54) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 25-35 (71) |
| 14 | TURNOVERS | 12 |
| 32 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 35 |
| 11 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 14 |
| 21 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 21 |
| 7 | BENCH POINTS | 10 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 6 |
| 4 | STEALS | 10 |
| 12 | ASSISTS | 4 |
Yet it was Russell, the Ohio State star freshman guard, who guided the Buckeyes on this night. He scored 28 points — 17 of which came in the second half.
In a game that featured 10 lead changes, the Buckeyes notched a pivotal win that should bolster their resume as the regular season draws to a close next week.
In the first half, Ohio State and Purdue combined for eight turnovers and made 2-of-13 shots in the first five minutes of play. Yet the Boilermakers, which made six 3-pointers in the period, surged ahead late in the half. They led at intermission, 32-23.
The Buckeyes cut the deficit to seven points after Sam Thompson, the high-flying senior forward who scored 14 points, broke free and threw down a thunderous dunk. The play brought the Schottenstein Center to its feet and reenergized a crowd that had grown quiet.
It also kindled a furious rally that chipped away at Purdue's lead. The defining moment of such a stretched seemed to come when Thompson leaped into the air and blocked a layup by A.J. Hammons, Purdue's 7-foot center who terrorized the Buckeyes underneath the basket in the teams' last meeting.
The ball bounced to Russell, who swiftly dribbled it up the court and slung it to senior center Amir Williams. Williams slammed the dunk down with two hands and cut the lead to, 46-45, with 8:10 to play.
Ohio State plays at Penn State on Wednesday night in State College.
