Men’s Basketball: Ivey’s game-winner spoils No. 16 Ohio State’s 81-78 comeback bid at No. 6 Purdue

Ohio State huddles during the Ohio State-Northwestern game Jan. 9. Ohio State won 95-87. Credit: Gabe Haferman | Assistant Photo Editor

The Buckeyes will have to wait a bit longer for another chance at a win in Mackey Arena.

No. 16 Ohio State (13-5, 6-3 Big Ten) snapped its three-game winning streak as sophomore guard Jaden Ivey drained a game-winning 3-pointer as the clock reached zero, helping No. 6 Purdue pull away 81-78 Sunday.

Ohio State trailed by as much as 20 in the second half but evened the game upon junior forward E.J. Liddell’s 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining.

The Buckeyes made six of their final seven shots to help chizzle at their deficit. Liddell and freshman guard Malaki Branham accounted for Ohio State’s final 17 points.

Ivey led the Boilermakers (18-3, 7-3 Big Ten) with 21 points on 8 of 20 shooting, all while coming off the bench. Purdue shot 48 percent and went 8-for-17 from 3-point range.

Branham and Liddell led the Buckeyes with 20 points each. Ohio State shot 46 percent from the field and overcame a 15.4 percent clip from distance in the first half, raising it to 31 percent come game’s end.

The Buckeyes played their first game in West Lafayette, Indiana, since losing to No. 15 Oral Roberts in last season’s NCAA Tournament. They haven’t won in Mackey Arena since upsetting then-No. 3 Purdue Feb. 7, 2018.

The Boilermakers closed on a 19-11 run during the final 4:46 of the first half to lead 39-30 going into the locker room. Senior guard Sasha Stefanovic accounted for eight of those points, including a 4-point play in which he was fouled on a bucket from deep.

Stefanovic finished with 11 points while sophomore center Zach Edey contributed 20.

Fouls also plagued the Buckeyes, who committed 22 versus Purdue’s 12. The Boilermakers shot just 15-for-26 at the free throw line.

Senior forward Justin Ahrens came off the bench for the first time all season, as freshman guard Meechie Johnson Jr. started his first game since Nov. 12, 2021, against Niagara. Ahrens added three points in 12 minutes while Johnson had three as well.

Graduate guard Cedric Russell provided spark off the bench in the second half, shooting 4-of-7 and scoring nine points.

Ohio State will begin a two-game home stand starting with Iowa Thursday. Tip-off will be at 8 p.m. and the game will broadcast on FS1.