Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big Ten Basketball: Purdue hangs on in Columbus vs. Ohio State

By Lukas Harkins

Jan 5, 2017; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jae'Sean Tate (1) goes for the loose ball with Purdue Boilermakers guard Dakota Mathias (31) during the first half at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 5, 2017; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jae'Sean Tate (1) goes for the loose ball with Purdue Boilermakers guard Dakota Mathias (31) during the first half at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

It’s not easy to win Big Ten basketball games on the road, but Purdue downed Ohio State by one.

Thanks to another double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) by star forward Caleb Swanigan, the Purdue Boilermakers were able to secure their second victory in conference play.

Related Story: Caleb Swanigan deserves to be in the mix for Player of the Year

Along with Swanigan, Dakota Mathias (14 points), Carsen Edwards (12 points), and Vince Edwards (16 points) all scored in double figures. Coming off the bench, Isaac Haas supplied 10 rebounds in 20 minutes of play.

Like Purdue, four of the five Ohio State starters scored in double figures: Marc Loving (14), Jae’Sean Tate (17), Trevor Thompson (11), and Kam Williams (10). And even though Ohio State was able to score with Purdue, they really struggled on the glass, where they were out-rebounded, 43-32. It is difficult to win when you’re dominated on the glass like that, especially when you give up 14 offensive rebounds.

But that doesn’t mean that Ohio State did not have their opportunities.

Trailing by two with 15 seconds left to play, Thompson was fouled in the process of completing a made bucket. Then, with the game tied, he was unable to connect on the free throw that would’ve given the Buckeyes the lead.

On the ensuing possession, the Boilermakers no doubt went to their star in Swanigan, who gave a quick pump fake to get his defender in the air prior to drawing a foul. With two free throws coming, Swanigan made one of two, giving Purdue a one-point lead with about five seconds to play.

Ohio State pushed the ball up the floor and got a three-point shot from JaQuan Lyle off before the buzzer, but it ricocheted off the rim and the game was over.

For Purdue, this was a solid road win in the Big Ten. With a big game coming up on Sunday against Wisconsin at home, it is sometimes easy to overlook a team like Ohio State in preparation for that battle. Instead, the Boilermakers came out strong and held on down the stretch.

The Boilermakers remain one of the teams at the forefront of the Big Ten, and the favorite for the rest of the season will likely be decided this weekend.

This was definitely a missed opportunity for Ohio State, but it does not doom their tournament chances. Winning at home against the top teams of the conference are huge wins, but even after this loss, OSU will have a couple more chances to add a marquee win for the rest of the year.

Ohio State’s next game comes against Minnesota, also on Sunday. After this loss, that game could easily be a must-win for Ohio State, although early in the season.

Next: Player of the Year Power Rankings (Edition Six)

Purdue proved that even in a close game like this one, that they’re an elite team in college basketball this year. They can compete for a Big Ten title, as well as a deep run in March.

Home/Ohio State Buckeyes