Ohio State
13-5,6-3Big Ten
#6 Purdue
18-3,7-3Big Ten
Buckeyes Comeback Thwarted at the Buzzer
1/30/2022 4:00:53 PM | Men's Basketball
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After falling behind by 20 points on the road at No. 6 Purdue in front of a sold-out crowd, Ohio State showed a lot of heart, coming all the way back to tie the game with under 30 seconds to play. But Jaden Ivey beat the Buckeyes again with a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving Purdue an 81-78 victory.
Purdue (18-3, 7-3) opened the second half on a 13-2 run to take a 52-32 lead with 14 minutes to play. With the sellout crowd in a frenzy, the Buckeyes (13-5, 6-3) kept their poise and slowly chipped away. Malaki Branham scored 11 of his 20 points in the second half to jump-start the run. E.J. Liddell then hit a pair of three pointers, one with 34 seconds left and another just nine seconds later off a Kyle Young steal to tie the game at 78-78 with 25 seconds to play. But just like last season in Columbus, Ivey knocked-down a three pointer in the final second to give Purdue the win.
Branham and Liddell each finished with 20 points to pace the Buckeyes. In addition to Branham’s 11 points in the second half, Liddell scored 14 of his 20 after the break, including the Buckeyes’ final seven points.
Cedric Russell and Eugene Brown III each played well off the bench, scoring nine points apiece. Kyle Young had the crucial late steal that led to the tying bucket and also finished with seven points and two assists.
The Buckeyes shot 46 percent for the game and made six of their final seven shots with four of those coming from long range. Purdue shot 48 percent for the game and had 18 second chance points which proved to be pivotal.
The Boilermakers built a 39-30 lead at the break behind 11 points from Sasha Stefanovic. The Buckeyes did well to limit him in the second half as he didn’t score, but Ivey and Zach Edey combined for 24 of Purdue’s 42 points in the second half.
Notes
- This was the Buckeyes’ fourth game this season decided by a bucket in the final second and the seventh game that featured a one-possession lead with less than 20 seconds to play in regulation.
- Malaki Branham scored 20 on 7-of-10 shooting, marking his third game this season with 20 or more points.
- Branham also grabbed a season-high seven rebounds
- Cedric Russell finished with nine points and is averaging nearly 10 points per game in the last three games
- E.J. Liddell continues his streak of scoring in double figures and this was his seventh 20-point game of the year.
- Ohio State was whistled for 22 personal fouls, its second-high total of the season
- The Buckeyes started their sixth different starting lineup this season with Wheeler, Johnson Jr., Branham, Liddell and Key.
Up Next
The Buckeye return home for two games this week. First is Iowa on Thursday night at 8 p.m. on FS1. Sunday, the Buckeyes will host Maryland at 1 p.m. on CBS.
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