First Posted: 3/1/2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Shannon Scott hit three free throws in the final 24 seconds and D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points to lead Ohio State, which rebounded from a 12-point deficit, to a 65-61 victory over Purdue on Sunday night.
Sam Thompson added 14 points for the Buckeyes (21-8, 10-6), who have won two in a row with two games left in the regular season.
A.J. Hammons had 16 points, Rapheal Davis 15 and Elida graduate Dakota Mathias 10 for Purdue (19-10, 11-5).
Mathais was 3 of 6 on 3-pointers. He also had three rebounds and one assist.
The Buckeyes took their first lead in almost 20 minutes when Russell hit an 18-foot jumper behind a high pick with 7:28 left
After falling behind by as many as four points, the Boilermakers regained the lead when Davis poured in a 3 from the top of the key with 2:54 left.
The teams traded points until a Basil Smotherman miss was rebounded by Thompson. Coming out of a timeout, Russell beat Davis off the dribble to bank in a layup with 59 seconds left for a 60-59 Ohio State advantage.
With 29 seconds left, late in the shot clock, Jon Octeus drove and his shot was blocked by Amir Williams. Scott was fouled on the rebound and hit the first of two for a 61-59 lead with 23 seconds left.
Purdue hustled the ball down the floor and called timeout. Davis missed a layup with Scott rebounding and drawing the foul. He hit both free throws to push the lead to 63-59.
After Octeus hit a layup, Kam Williams made two clinching free throws.
Ohio State led in the early going but the Boilermakers took control with a 9-0 run — on two 3s by Davis sandwiched around one by Vince Edwards.
At about the same time Purdue was finding the range offensively, it began to shut down the Buckeyes. They missed all but one of their final 10 shots of the half to trail 35-23 at the break.
Purdue, 1 of 7 in field goals at one point, ended up shooting 46 percent. The Buckeyes sagged to 27 percent after 20 minutes.
Russell scored Ohio State’s first eight points and had 11 at the half, while Hammons had nine points, four rebounds and two blocked shots and Davis had eight points at the break.
TIP-INS
Purdue: For all its glorious tradition, Purdue has frequently had trouble with Ohio State. The Buckeyes are the only Big Ten team which has a winning record against the Boilermakers — 88-84 — although when games vacated by the NCAA are counted, Purdue still has the upper hand, 84-82.
The Boilermakers won the earlier meeting 60-58 at home, ending a six-game losing streak to the Buckeyes. They had not swept a season series against Ohio State since 1998.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes are trying to grab a top-four finish in the Big Ten tournament, which would give them a double-bye and allow them to sit out the first two days of the five-day event at United Center in Chicago March 11-15.
Two other teams competing for a top-four seed, Michigan State and Iowa, would win any tiebreaker with Ohio State for one of those top four seeds.
UP NEXT
Purdue: The Boilermakers close out the regular season with games at Michigan State on Wednesday and home against Illinois on Saturday.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes play at Penn State on Wednesday and then host No. 5 Wisconsin on Sunday in their final scheduled game.
