Buckeyes make it 3 straight with win against Purdue

Ohio State vs Purdue

After completing season sweeps over Michigan and Indiana last week, the Ohio State Buckeyes posted a third consecutive key victory on Tuesday, defeating 12th-ranked Purdue 80-72 in overtime at Value City Arena in Columbus.

Sophomore guard Evan Turner finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the Buckeyes, who improved to 16-5 overall and 6-4 in the Big Ten. Turner made 9 of 15 field-goal attempts as the Buckeyes shot 60.4 percent from the field as a team.

Freshman guard William Buford scored 22 points on 10 of 14 shooting, while freshman center B.J. Mullens hit 8 of his 9 shots and finished with 17 points to go with 8 rebounds.

The Buckeyes shot 5 of 7 from the field during overtime, when they outscored Purdue 16-8.

A pair of free throws by Turner put Ohio State ahead to stay at 68-66 with 3:37 left in the extra period. A two-handed slam by Buford extended the Buckeyes' advantage to 74-68 with 46 seconds remaining in overtime.

After Turner hit two more foul shots to give Ohio State a 76-68 lead, the Buckeyes clinched the game with a putback dunk by Mullens that made the score 78-68 with 20 seconds left in OT.

In a contest that featured 13 ties and 18 lead changes, Purdue grabbed an early 10-2 advantage only to see Ohio State embark upon a 17-4 run to go ahead 19-14 midway through the first half.

After the Boilermakers led 32-29 at the intermission, the second half went back and forth. A drive to the basket by Turner put the Buckeyes in front 64-59 with 1:50 left in regulation, but Purdue rallied on a three-pointer by Keaton Grant and a steal and dunk by Chris Kramer to force overtime at 64-64.

JaJuan Johnson finished with 30 points to lead the Boilermakers, who fell to 17-5, 6-3.

> Find more Big Ten football news online at Big Ten Fans!