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Ohio State Halts Purdue's Big Ten Tournament Run

Effort can carry a team only so far, but at some point, physical gifts take over.  That was the difference in 7th ranked Ohio State’s 88-71 win over Purdue; the Buckeyes’ big men were simply too much for the Boilermakers to handle.

“I thought our guys gave a good fight today. I thought we were in a position coming down the stretch to win the game,” said Purdue head coach Matt Painter. "A lot of times defensively, we get pretty set in what we do.  We just struggle when we go against pros."

Two of the future pros Painter talked about are Jared Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas.  Sullinger scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Thomas poured in 22-points and seven rebounds to lift Ohio State to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the sixth time in seven years.

“We were allowing it just too easy to enter into the post and we were supposed to be there on the double team,” said Painter. “I thought Sullinger and Thomas were very good tonight.  You look at the stat sheet and they have seven offensive rebounds and you would think they had 17 offensive rebounds.  But, every one they got, they made us pay.”

Ohio State took command early, starting the game on a 13-3 run.  But, Purdue chipped away behind the play of Lewis Jackson and drew within four, 40-36, at halftime.  In the first 20-minutes, Jackson accounted for 26 of the teams’ points.  The senior point guard scored eight and dished out seven assists, including three that resulted in three-point baskets. 

“They were switching Sullinger on me and I just had a good chance of attacking the basket,” said Jackson.

But in the second half, Ohio State kept Jackson at bay.  He scored just two points and dished out three assists in the final frame.

“In the second half, they kind of just stayed back and made me contest and Jared Sullinger, you have to give him credit, he played straight up, got a couple blocks, and the ball just didn’t go my way.”

Jackson finished with a double-double, ten-points and ten assists.  He was one of three Boilermakers in double-figures.  D.J Byrd scored 20 and Terone Johnson added 15.

Purdue’s leading scorer for the season, Robbie Hummel, was held to just six points on 2-of-8 shooting. 

“He had some looks.  We would like to get him some more stuff in the mid post, get him some stuff driving to the post.  But, you have to give (OSU) credit.  They did a good job defensively, not just on Rob, but on everybody else,” said Painter. 

Ohio State extended its halftime lead to double-digits six minutes into the second half, but Purdue countered with a 19-10 run of its own and got within three, 62-59, on one of D.J Byrd’s  four triples with just under eight minutes to play.

That’s when Ohio State switched gears.  The Buckeyes then racked off a 17-3 run and finished the game outscoring Purdue 26-14.

“We were poor in transition.  We couldn’t get shots to fall and we obviously didn’t keep them off the glass and keep the ball from going inside.  That combination kind of sealed the deal for Ohio State,” said Painter.

The Buckeyes out rebounded the Boilers 39-28 and shot nearly 61-percent from the field helped by 48-points in the paint, compared to 18 for Purdue.  Sullinger and Thomas pushed Purdue up against the ropes for the bulk of the game, but another future pro delivered the knockout punches.

William Buford, who was held in check for the majority of the game, scored nine of his eleven points during a minute-and-a-half stretch during the Buckeyes’ big run late and Purdue could never claw back.

“We eventually locked down on defense,” said Buford.  “We had five guys connecting on defense.  When we do that, it’s pretty tough to score on us.  That’s how we got our run, let our defense lead our offense.”

Ohio State advances to the tournament semifinal against Michigan.  Michigan State will face Wisconsin in the other game.

The Buckeyes have won their last three semi games in the Big Ten Tournament and have won the tourney title the past two seasons.

For Purdue, it’s now a waiting game.  The Boilers appear to be heading to the NCAA tournament, but their seeding remains a mystery. After a somewhat sluggish start to the season, Purdue has played its best ball over the past month, including wins in six of the last nine games.

D.J Byrd said the Boilers will use the loss to Ohio State as a learning experience to prepare them for the Big Dance.

“In the NCAA tournament we are probably playing a team that we are not used to playing against.  Ohio State, we know their personnel and they know ours,” he said.

“This game, obviously one of the big things was rebounding, especially when we go to a smaller lineup it’s important to box out every time and try to get those 50-50 balls.  I think those are big things going into the tournament that we need to do.”