Two of the hottest teams in the Big Ten squared off and Purdue notched its biggest road victory of the year over No. 15 Ohio State, 67-65, Tuesday night at Value City Arena in Columbus.
It was the fourth win in a row for Purdue (11-5 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten) and its first road win over a nationally ranked team in the top 15 since 2012. Meanwhile, Ohio State (11-4, 5-4) had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Boilermakers freshman Jaden Ivey hit a step-back three-pointer with five seconds left in the game for the game-winner. While Purdue scored eight straight in the final 1:48, the Boilers held the Buckeyes without a field goal in that stretch.
“I told myself after the timeout, that this game was over, I’m hitting this shot,” said an emotional Ivey after the game, “just to see that shot go in, it means everything (to me).”
The trio of Ivey, Trevion Williams and Sasha Stefanovic accounted for 34 of Purdue’s 36 points in the Boilers’ second half surge. At halftime, the Buckeyes led 37-31 while mainly relying on their three-point shooting. They hit nine threes in the first half, but only five in the second half.
Williams finished with a team-high 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds while Stefanovic and Ivey both finished 15. For Ivey, who graduated from La Lumiere Prep in LaPorte County, he’s played his two best games of the season in Purdue’s last two road games. Against Indiana, Jan. 14, he scored 13 against the Hoosiers.
The Boilermakers won’t have much time to celebrate, however, because they’ll host No. 7 Michigan, currently atop the Big Ten standings, on Friday. After suffering their first loss on Saturday at Minnesota, the Wolverines also won Tuesday night, 87-63, over Maryland.
