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Ohio State uses size, strength to defeat Purdue

spt-120309-purdue

Mike Miller

INDIANAPOLIS - No. 7 Ohio State played to its advantages and got a season-high 30 points from Jared Sullinger in a convincing 88-71 victory over Purdue.

The Buckeyes scored 48 points in the paint and 13 points off of offensive rebounds due in large part to Sullinger’s work.

Sullinger was efficient, going 12-17 from the floor and even connecting on his lone three-point attempt of the game.

Complimenting the team’s big man was Deahaun Thomas who finished with 22, and Aaron Craft, who found many ways to beat his defender off the dribble or in transition to get a number of easy layups.

Entering the second half with only a four point lead, the Buckeyes extended the margin out to double digits with a nice mix of feeding Sullinger and exploiting Boilermaker double teams by kicking the ball back outside for open looks.

Purdue’s Robbie Hummel struggled, going 2-8 from the field and finishing with only six points, finding himself physically outmatched against the Buckeyes front line.

The Buckeyes’ win means they’ll face off against rival Michigan in the semifinals. It will be the third meeting between both teams this season, with the previous two being won by the home team.