John Mobley Jr. scored 21 points to lead Ohio State to an 82-74 win over No. 8 Purdue on Sunday.
A crowd that included a loud contingent of Boilermakers fans watched the Buckeyes revive their fading NCAA Tournament hopes and beat Purdue for the third time in a row.
Purdue (22-7, 12-6 Big Ten) led by as many as seven in the first half, but Ohio State (18-11, 10-8) used a 14-3 run to open up a 23-19 lead on Amare Bynum’s 3-pointer with 6:44 to go.
The Buckeyes led by five at the half despite Purdue making 8 of 14 from 3-point range, a deficit Ohio State made up at the free-throw line. The Buckeyes made 8 of 11 from the charity stripe while Purdue was 1 for 2.
Ohio State took a 16-point lead on a pair of free throws by Devin Royal with 7:41 to go in the second half.
Purdue went on a 12-2 run to get within six, but Bynum hit a 3-pointer and Royal added a put-back slam to stop the bleeding and put the Buckeyes back up 11.
The Boilermakers got to within six again with 31 seconds left, but Bruce Thornton made a pair of free throws to give the hosts some breathing room.
sports
