INDIANAPOLIS – Ohio state basketball survived a double-digit return from Purdue to overturn Boilermakers 87-78 in Friday’s overtime to advance to Saturday’s Big Ten semifinal against Michigan.
The Buckeyes advanced, despite fighting again in the second half and losing an advantage of 18 points in the interval. .
With 1:48 to go, Trevion Williams (26 points) hooked EJ Liddell (17 points) to reduce Ohio State’s lead to two points. In the next possession, he tied the game with another hook shot. Those points culminated in a 9-0 run for the Boilermakers, while the Buckeyes failed to score 5:02 until Justice Sueing (six points) made two free throws to give them a 72-70 lead.
Williams responded again with another tray to tie the game. With 10 seconds to define the winner of the game, CJ Walker dribbled in traffic and lost the ball as time ran out.
In its first extension of the season, Ohio State received a much-needed boost from Seth Towns, whose trey 2:54 at the end of the season provided a four-point cushion, followed by a pull-up jump. In the next possession, OSU performed the same action for the third consecutive time and Duane Washington Jr. (20 points) connected in an open three to make 83-76.
Purdue never regained the game in six.
Behind Kyle Young’s shot, the Buckeyes took a 49-31 lead at halftime. The big senior man had only made nine trios in the entire season, but he was 4 out of 5 in the first half. He hit three straight past the hoop in the first five minutes of the game.
Then he put the perfect score on what was impeccable in the first 20 minutes, with his three quarters ending the time with 18 points. He played just four minutes in the second half before being elbowed in the head by Williams. He had a similar collision at the end of the Michigan game on February 21, entered the concussion protocol and lost OSU’s next game against Michigan State.
The Buckeyes did everything right in the first half, throwing 56 percent of the field, while the Boilermakers struggled to do almost anything. They hit just 39 percent, while the great man Zach Edey (11 points) was the only player to have an efficient midfield.
Impressive as it was to take an 18-point lead at halftime, the real test would be how the OSU would perform in the last 20 minutes.
Purdue’s race came as expected. Jaden Ivey – the same player responsible for closing the comeback win in Columbus during the regular season – led the attack, finishing with 19 points. Nine came in three consecutive treys over a period of 90 seconds. While Purdue was running, Ohio failed to score a field goal at 8:20.
The Buckeyes have spent the past three weeks showing a lack of balance in the final minutes, and that has accompanied them in the first two games in Indianapolis.
What is the next
Ohio’s reward for finally winning a victory over Purdue is a second chance in Michigan. The two played what was one of the best games of the regular season of the year, with a 92-87 win for the Wolverines.
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