Ohio State stunned No. 2 Purdue on Sunday in its interim coach’s debut, winning 73-69 a day after the NCAA Tournament selection committee picked the Boilermakers as the early favorite to be the No. 1 overall seed during March Madness.
Bruce Thornton scored 22 points and Jamison Battle added 19 points to help Ohio State (15-11, 5-10 Big Ten) pull off the upset in Jake Diebler’s first game at the helm.
Chris Holtmann was fired Wednesday after several disappointing seasons. The beleaguered Buckeyes had lost nine of their last eleven games.
Purdue (23-3, 12-3) had been favored by 8 1/2 points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Ohio State played with energy from the start, led 35-30 at the break and six minutes into the second half were up by 12.
With the Boilermakers closing down the stretch, it seemed like only a matter of time until Zach Edey took over the game, but it didn’t happen.
Lance Jones hit a 3-pointer for Purdue to tie the score at 65 with 1:39 left. But Battle hit a jumper and then, with 34 seconds left, hit a pair of free throws to bump the Ohio State lead to 69-65.
An easy dunk by Edey reduced the deficit to two with 16 seconds left. Running out time, the Boilermakers fouled Thornton, who went to the line and made both foul shots to just about seal the game.
Edey finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, the 58th career double-double for the Purdue star.
Purdue had won nine straight and 16 of its last 17. Its last loss was Jan. 9.
Big Picture
Purdue: The Boilermakers couldn’t match Ohio State and were derailed on their way to a desired perfect finish in the Big Ten regular season.
Ohio State: A hard week ended in adulation for the Buckeyes, whose fans finally had reason to storm the court.
Up Next
Purdue: Hosts Rutgers on Thursday night.
Ohio State: Visits Minnesota on Thursday night.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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