On Thursday night, the Purdue men’s basketball team overpowered Ohio State with an excellent second half to comeback from a halftime deficit and win, 75-64, in Mackey Arena. The second half was a tug of war, with the Boilers (17-3, 5-2) trying with all their might to overcome the hump and take the lead. For a stretch of about five minutes, it seemed as though each team scored on every trip to the basket. In fact, neither team had a double-digit lead until the end of the game. With 9:04 left to play, the Boilermakers finally overtook the Buckeyes, 53-52, thanks to a 3-pointer from freshman guard Ryan Cline. It may not have been smooth sailing for the Boilers, but from then on, Purdue was in control of the game. Things started off decently well for the Boilers at the beginning of the night, with their primary advantage being rebounds. In just the first six minutes, the Boilermakers had pulled down four offensive rebounds and converted them into four second chance points. This hot start on the glass would continue throughout the game, giving Purdue 16 offensive rebounds and 17 second chance points for the game. “It’s just giving effort and playing hard,” Edwards said. “Coach Painter told us to ‘keep playing hard and keep attacking the glass,’ so that’s what we did when we went out there.” Senior center A.J. Hammons led the Boilermakers with 16 points and eight rebounds. Even as Purdue’s defense improved later in the half, the Buckeyes (12-8, 4-3) seemed able to make everything they put up towards the basket. The Boilers were lucky to go into halftime only down three points, considering the prolific shooting that the Buckeyes displayed in the first half…
Continue Reading: Purdue Men’s Basketball: Boilermakers fight off the Buckeyes, 75-64
