The Drought is Over
Caleb Downs scores Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown since 2014.
Ohio State honored its five seniors the right way, downing Purdue 73-60 on Senior Day.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #16 Ohio State | 19 | 14 | 23 | 17 | 73 |
| Purdue | 14 | 16 | 18 | 12 | 60 |
Though it wasn't their last home game as Buckeyes, it was Senior Day, and the seniors showed up, combining for 64 of the team's 73 points to lead Ohio State past the Boilermakers.
The team was led, once again, by its two leading scorers: Kelsey Mitchell and Stephanie Mavunga.
Mitchell, the team's all-time leading scorer, fittingly led all scorers with 26 points on Senior Day. She also flirted with a double-double, pulling down eight rebounds on the game. Mavunga followed closely behind in scoring with 17 points and once again led the team with 12 boards for her 14th double-double of the season.
Meanwhile, Linnae Harper, Asia Doss and Alexa Hart – the team's other three seniors – combined for 21 points and 12 rebounds. The only non-senior to score was Sierra Calhoun, who had nine points.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | PURDUE |
|---|---|---|
| 73 | POINTS | 60 |
| 29-66 (44%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 23-66 (35%) |
| 5-18 (28%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 5-18 (28%) |
| 10-15 (67%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 9-15 (60%) |
| 12 | TURNOVERS | 15 |
| 45 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 43 |
| 12 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 13 |
| 33 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 30 |
| 2 | BENCH POINTS | 7 |
| 3 | BLOCKS | 4 |
| 8 | STEALS | 5 |
| 11 | ASSISTS | 8 |
Much of the game was a defensive struggle for much of the afternoon – foreign territory for this Buckeye team over the years.
Neither team was particularly hot shooting and both struggled with ball security, but the difference for the Buckeyes was their ability to turn defense into offense and get back in transition after they suffered a turnover.
Ohio State turned the ball over 12 times and Purdue 15 times, but the Buckeyes outscored the Boilermakers 18-4 in points off turnovers.
The Buckeyes came out hot from the start, scoring the game's first 10 points, but Purdue buckled down and kept the game from getting out of hand. The Boilermakers never let the Ohio State lead grown larger than 13 in the first quarter, and cut it to just 5 at the end of the quarter.
Ohio State opened the second on a 6-0 run to extend the lead, and the margin hovered in the high single digits for the majority of the second until Purdue went on another mini run to close the quarter, outscoring the Buckeyes 8-2 in the final three minutes to make the score just 33-30 at the half.
The Boilermaker momentum carried to the second as Purdue scored the half's first four points to take its first lead of the day, but it was short-lived, because the Buckeyes punched back.
Ohio State scored 10 straight points after the Boilermakers took their third-quarter lead to retake control of the game, and never relinquished it. From that point, Purdue only got within six points once, and the lead continued to grow overtime.
With command of the game, Ohio State coasted in the fourth, gradually extending its lead until it reached its peak at 16 points. Purdue didn't die, but never really threatened either, and the Buckeyes came away with a 73-60 victory.
With the win, the Buckeyes improve to 22-6 overall and 11-3 in conference play while Purdue falls to 17-11 and 8-6 in Big Ten play.
Though Ohio State honored its seniors on Sunday, the Buckeyes do have one more home game remaining this season when they host Northwestern on Wednesday at 7 p.m. They then close out the season on the road against Penn State on Sunday at noon.
