For the first time in more than two decades, Ohio State has lost five games in a row.
Despite overcoming a 21-1 run from Purdue in the first half of Wednesday night's Big Ten matchup at the Schottenstein Center that threatened to demoralize the Buckeyes, they responded and pulled within two points on a 3-pointer from Musa Jallow with 10:15 remaining on the game. The Boilermakers held off Ohio State down the stretch, though, for a 79-67 win.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE (12-6) | 29 | 38 | 67 |
| PURDUE (13-6) | 39 | 40 | 79 |
The Buckeyes have now lost their last five games – marking the first time they have lost that many games in a row since the 1997-98 season – and haven't won since beating High Point on Dec. 29. Their record dropped to 12-6 and their Big Ten record fell to 2-5.
Ohio State jumped out to a 15-6 lead after a pair of free throws from C.J. Jackson eight minutes into the game. Just six minutes later, Purdue held a commanding 30-18 lead. Turnovers, a hapless offense and fouls doomed the Buckeyes during the 21-1 stretch.
After trailing by 10 points at halftime, Ohio State clawed its back into the game with a 15-5 run early in the second half that cut Purdue's lead to 58-56. From there, however, Purdue slowly pulled back away before ultimately winning the game by double digits.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | PURDUE |
|---|---|---|
| 67 | POINTS | 79 |
| 23-44 (52.3%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 23-48 (47.9%) |
| 10-22 (45.5%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 12-24 (50%) |
| 11-16 (68.8%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 21-25 (84%) |
| 19 | TURNOVERS | 18 |
| 23 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 30 |
| 4 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 10 |
| 19 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 20 |
| 23 | BENCH POINTS | 30 |
| 1 | BLOCKS | 3 |
| 8 | STEALS | 9 |
| 11 | ASSISTS | 13 |
Ohio State's Andre Wesson set a career-high with 22 points, hitting 9-of-10 shots, including a heave from beyond halfcourt at the halftime buzzer. Luther Muhammad and Jallow also finished in double figures, with Jallow scoring 12 points and Muhammad scoring 10. Jallow led the Buckeyes with six rebounds.
Carsen Edwards led Purdue with 27 points despite hitting only 6-of-16 shots, while Ryan Cline added 13 and Trevion Williams had 10. The Boilermakers had 25 total trips to the free-throw line, hitting 21 of their shots from the stripe, and outrebounded the Buckeyes 30 to 23.
Ohio State's next chance to snap its losing streak will come Saturday, when the Buckeyes are set to play Nebraska on the road. Tip-off in Lincoln is scheduled for noon, and the game will be televised on BTN.
Before Wednesday night's game, which was part of Coaches vs. Cancer week, Ohio State observed a moment of silence for late Purdue fan Tyler Trent, who died earlier this month after a battle with bone cancer.
