Buckeyes Lose to Purdue in Final Seconds, 76-75

For a moment, it appeared that Trevor Thompson was going to be the hero of the night for the Ohio State Buckeyes basketball team. In a matter of seconds, he found himself on the complete opposite end of that spectrum.

With 15 seconds left in the game, and the Buckeyes trailing by two, Thompson gathered a loose ball under the rim and went up with it, scoring while also drawing the foul. The free throw would give the Buckeyes a lead and put them within a stop of getting their best win of the season.

Symbolic of the season thus far, he missed.

Still, Ohio State had tied the game up, and a stop would likely send the game to overtime. With the way they played at times, Thad Matta would have gladly taken his chances in the extra period.

Instead, Thompson got caught in the air on a ball fake from Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan with five seconds left. Swanigan drew the foul and subsequently knocked down two free throws to give Purdue the lead.

JaQuan Lyle’s three pointer at the buzzer didn’t go, sending the Buckeyes to 0-2 in the conference.

Ohio State’s play was a mixed bag, with periods of both good and bad play presenting the perfect microcosm of the entire team.

The Buckeyes owned a four point lead with 4:32 left in the first half, but went on a four minute scoreless streak that saw Purdue take a seven point lead just before the break.

Marc Loving’s circus three pointer as time expired sent the Buckeyes into the locker room only down four.

Purdue led by as many as 10 points early in the second half, but Ohio State would not go away.

Their response was a 12-2 run that got them right back into the game. Kam Williams’ jumper with 13:15 left in the game knotted things up at 55.

Ohio State again fell into a deficit, trailing by seven as the game headed towards the five minute mark. C.J. Jackson’s three pointer cut into Purdue’s lead, and Marc Loving hit a pair of free throws that brought it to the a one possession game.

The Buckeyes were within a single possession of taking a lead several times in the final three

minutes, including Thompson’s and-one opportunity in the last seconds.

Thompson’s missed free throw was one of just three on the night for the Buckeyes, who had one of their better efforts from the line; they shot 17 of 20.

It wasn’t just the free throw line where they shot the ball well. From the field, the Buckeyes shot 44 percent. That includes a 6-15 effort from the three point line, good for 44 percent.

Jae’Sean Tate led all Buckeyes with 17 points. Loving added 14 points and 8 rebounds.

Rebounds were a problem against Purdue’s considerable size in the front court. Despite being a team that leans on the three pointer, the Boilermakers only shot 8 of 23 from deep.

However, Ohio State couldn’t capitalize on those misses, often giving up an offensive rebound that led to two points. Purdue grabbed 14 offensive rebounds over the course of the game, eight more than Ohio State.

Swanigan led Purdue with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Vince Edwards added 16 and 7.

Ohio State will look to get their first conference win on Sunday when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Gophers. Tip off is set for 7:30.