Sophomore guard Ameryst Alston (14) shoots over a defender during a game against Michigan State Jan. 26 at the Schottenstein Center. OSU, 82-68.
Credit: Kaily Cunningham / Multimedia editor
The Ohio State women’s basketball team (14-12, 4-6) dropped their second straight game by double digits Thursday, falling to No. 25 Purdue, 74-58.
Consistency on the offensive end continued to plague the Buckeyes, as they shot just 34.5 percent from the field and turned the ball over 16 times.
The Buckeyes also lacked balance on the offensive end as only two players scored in double digits for OSU. Sophomore guard Ameryst Alston scored a game-high 26 points on 9-19 shooting, while junior guard Raven Ferguson scored 13 points on 3-15 shooting.
OSU had five different players score in double figures in the first matchup between the two teams on Jan. 2, an 89-78 Buckeye victory.
Purdue was without their leading scorer in redshirt-senior guard KK Houser, who tore her ACL Feb. 2 in a game against Michigan State. The Boilermakers did not seem to be phased as they had five players score in double figures.
Purdue senior guard Courtney Moses led the way for the Boilermakers, scoring 18 points on 6-12 shooting while also hitting two of her three attempts from behind the arc.
The Buckeyes, who normally get solid play from their bench, only received points from Ferguson as senior center Ashley Adams was held to just one shot attempt in 25 minutes of play.
OSU was outrebounded 43-37 and did not tally a single fast break point on the night.
The Buckeyes trailed by nine at the break, but could only manage to get within seven of the Boilermakers in the second half, trailing by as much as 19 before Ferguson hit a 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining to close out the game.
OSU are set return home on Sunday at 2 p.m. to take on the No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions who gave the Buckeyes their worst loss on the season, a 66-42 drubbing in University Park, Pa. on Jan. 16.
