2/18/2018 basketball Edit

Purdue battles for a half, but fades at Ohio State

Kyle Charters • BoilerUpload

Staff Writer

For the first time this season, Purdue lost to a ranked opponent.

After battling Ohio State for a half-plus, the Boilermakers fell at No. 16 Ohio State Sunday afternoon by a final of 73-60. Previously, Purdue had been 4-0 this season against top-25 opponents, including Thursday's win over No. 10 Maryland.

But the Boilermakers (17-11 overall, 8-6 in the Big Ten) couldn't pull it off Sunday. Purdue, which had trailed by 12 in the first seven minutes, rallied back to take a 34-33 lead on Ae'Rianna Harris' bucket early in the second half. But Ohio State responded, with a 10-0 run gave the Buckeyes a nine-point lead. The first four came on one possession, with Stephanie Mavunga's free throw following a layup missed, but was put back in by Linnae Harper.

"You've got to box out," Coach Sharon Versyp said during her post-game radio interview. "Our best rebounder is standing next to a 5-foot-8 kid. You can't take those things for granted."

The Boilermakers had the margin at eight to start the fourth quarter, but they couldn't muster another significant run. Ohio State (22-6, 11-3) pushed the lead to 69-53 with less than four minutes left.

"We knew they'd start out well, on senior day, with five seniors," Versyp said of the Buckeyes, led by All-American Kelsey Mitchell on her final regular-season game in Value City Arena. "We were able to chip back. ... The first half was a very solid half."

Freshman Karissa McLaughlin led the Boilermakers with 17 points, while Dominique Oden, who ended the game on the bench after taking a couple shots to the ribs, and Harris had 12 each. Purdue, which shot only 35 percent, battled on the glass, losing there 45-43, but Ohio State got a few too many second-chances late.

Rookie Tamara Farquhar had a career-high 13 boards with eight points, her second straight solid start in place of ill Lamina Cooper.

"She was big for us," Versyp said. "When you look at people rebounding the ball, you've got to have a lot and (big) figures. She did a really good job on the boards. That was really good for her. She's played through a lot but had a really nice game for us."

Mitchell had 26 points and eight rebounds for Ohio State, which shot 44 percent, while Mavunga had 17 and 12.

Purdue now has two home games left, including Illinois Wednesday in Mackey Arena, and feels like it has positioned itself for an NCAA bid.

"We've not beaten four ranked teams in the last four or five years, so go figure that," Versyp said. "The Big Ten is third-best in the country and there should be seven teams that get in. I feel we're one of them right now, but we have to take care of business, especially on Wednesday."

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