Ohio State’s Duane Washington, right, brings the ball up court against Purdue’s Eric Hunter during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State beat Purdue 68-52. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio State Buckeyes kept their NCAA hopes alive, topping Purdue 68-52 Saturday afternoon for their fifth win in the past six games.
Ohio State (17-8, 7-7) pulled to .500 in the Big Ten for the first time since December, while Purdue (14-12, 7-8) lost its second in a row.
All eight Buckeyes to play hit the scoreboard, led by Kyle Young with 16 and Kaleb Wesson with 13 and a season-high three steals. Luther Muhammad added 11.
Ohio State beat Purdue for just the second time in their last six meetings.
Evan Boudreaux contributed 17 for the Boilermakers, while Jahaad Proctor added 15.
Ohio State led from the opening tip but left plenty of opportunity for Purdue to stay in the game, committing nine first-half turnovers and going scoreless for more than five minutes in the first half.
But Purdue failed to capitalize, shooting just 35.2% from the field and 20% from beyond the arc.
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The Boilermakers, which force more turnovers than any other team in the Big Ten, nudged Ohio State into nine in the first half. The Buckeyes ended with 16 turnovers, but forced Purdue into 16, as well.
BIG PICTURE
Both Purdue and Ohio State battled long stretches of cold shooting, but the Buckeyes caught fire late to keep their NCAA hopes alive by dispatching the Boilermakers, pulling to .500 in the Big Ten.
UP NEXT
Purdue is at Wisconsin Tuesday.
Ohio State is on the road Thursday at Iowa.
The post Balanced Buckeyes Topple Boilermakers, Cling To NCAA Hopes appeared first on The Village Reporter.
Source: The Village Reporter
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