No.1 Purdue survives Buckeyes upset bid, 71-69

COLUMBUS — Purdue's Fletcher Loyer drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining in the game to give the No. 1 Boilermakers a 71-69 win over No. 24 Ohio State on Thursday night.

Purdue (14-1, 3-1 Big Ten) found itself trailing 69-66 after Sean McNeil hit a 3 pointer to give the Buckeyes the lead with just 41 seconds to go.

Zach Edey responded with a bucket on the other end to cut the deficit to one, and the Boilermakers' defense forced a turnover on the Ohio State's following possession. After taking the lead on Loyer’s trey, the Boilermakers successfully defended Ohio State on its final possession, as Brice Sensabaugh couldn't get a final shot off in time. Edey and Braden Smith both scored 16 points, as Purdue had four players finish in double figures. Sensabaugh scored 21 points for Ohio State (10-4, 2-1), who's scored double figures for the seventh-straight game.

The game saw nine lead changes in the final eight minutes of the game. Loyer drained a three to give Purdue a 64-63 lead with under 5 minutes to go.

After scoreless stretch by both teams, Sensabaugh gave Ohio State a 65-64 lead on a jumper with 3:19 left. Edey drained free throws to regain the lead for Purdue, but fouled Felix Okpara, who tied the game at 66 with 1:57 left.

Purdue bounced back to avoid their second straight loss by outshooting the Buckeyes 50% to 45.2% in the second half. After going 0 of 6 from the field in the first half, Loyer shot 66% in the second half, including 3 of 4 from three-point range. Ohio State will be on the road to face Maryland on Sunday.