WEST LAFAYETTE − Purdue Basketball’s defense completed a tough road trip in the Pacific Northwest.
The Boilermakers saw their seven-game winning streak end because the offense couldn’t catch up with another strong defensive outing.
Ohio State rallied upset the Boilermakers, 12th, 73-70 at Mackey Arena Tuesday night, ending Purdue’s 26-game home winning streak.
John Mobley Jr. daggered Purdue’s late comeback attempt on a corner jumper with 29 seconds left. Devin Royal made two free throws with 3.6 seconds left, allowing the Buckeyes to foul Purdue and not give up a potential game-tying shot.
It was the first Big Ten loss for the Boilermakers (15-5, 7-2) since the league opener at Penn State on Dec. 5.
A turning point in Purdue basketball
Bruce Thornton’s 3 just before the first half buzzer cut Purdue’s lead 41-26.
The Boilermakers came out ice cold in the second half, going 1 for 7 with three turnovers on their first 10 possessions.
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Purdue saw its 15-point lead disappear with back-to-back 3s from Micah Parrish less than six minutes into the second half.
From there, it was a back-and-forth battle with the Buckeyes seemingly keeping just enough momentum. Purdue used a 9-0 run to go up six, but Ohio State had an answer each time.
The 3-point woes continue
Two games in the Pacific Northwest had Purdue going 5 of 25 from 3-point range in wins over Washington and Oregon.
A return to Mackey Arena was supposed to solve Purdue’s recent outside shooting woes.
Instead, the Boilermakers missed four straight 3s to open the game. It wasn’t until Gicarri Harris made it from the right corner with 1:02 left in the first half that Purdue saw one go down. Purdue attempted just four 3s in the second half, making two, to finish 3 of 9.
3 stars
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue: The Boilermaker center continues to be Mr. Reliable. He finished with 26 points and seven rebounds, continuing his stellar redshirt junior season.
Micah Parrish, Ohio State: The San Diego State transfer, now at his third school, averaged 10.5 points per game. He lit up Purdue from beyond the arc. Parish scored 22 points and made 6 of 8 3s.
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State: It has been a tough matchup for the Boilermakers in the past. With the trio of CJ Cox, Myles Colvin and Gicarri Harris, Purdue held him in check for most of the first half. Thornton hit a buzzer-beater, which continued for the Buckeyes in the second half. He finished with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article was originally published in the Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue’s basketball winning streak ends in loss to Ohio State
