No. 3 Ohio State Vs. Purdue: Buckeyes Hold On For 87-84 Win In Unexpected Battle

The Purdue Boilermakers visited the No. 3 Ohio St. Buckeyes on Tuesday night in Big Ten conference action. Ohio State had won five in a row heading into the game, including back-to-back wins over ranked teams in No. 22 Wisconsin and No. 20 Michigan. Purdue, by contrast, was coming off a 17-point loss to the ranked Indiana Hoosiers and was looking to get to over .500 in conference play.

The Buckeyes probably figured they were likely for an easy win over the Boilermakers, but they got much more than they expected in a hard-fought game that remained close right down to the wire. The Boilermakers played some inspired and aggressive ball, including a monster dunk in the first half by Purdue guard Kelsey Barlow. Purdue took it right to the Buckeyes and headed into halftime with the score knotted at 40-40. Ohio State finally opened up a decent lead toward the end of the second half, but Purdue kept on battling. The final minute of play could have told a different story, as the Boilermakers were down by seven points in the last 0:30 but scored eight. The difference ended up being fouls on Buckeyes Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas in the final 20 seconds, who nailed all four of their free throws.

D.J. Byrd led the way for Purdue, with 24 points and six rebounds. Buckeyes guard William Buford led all scorers with 29 points, also managing seven boards and two assists.

Ohio State will play their next game on Saturday, February 11, when they host the No. 12 Michigan St. Spartans. Purdue's next game will be on Sunday, February 12, as they return home to take on the Northwestern Wildcats.

For all news and information regarding the Purdue Boilermakers, please visit Hammer and Rails. For updates and perspective on the Ohio State Buckeyes, head on over to Along the Olentangy. For complete coverage of NCAA basketball, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated college hoops hub.