Skip to main content
Join Now
Team Avatar
Ohio State

Ohio State comes back to upset No. 11 Purdue, end Boilermakers' home winning streak

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•01/21/25•

NickSchultz_7

Ohio State basketball vs. Purdue
© Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At halftime, it looked like Purdue was in control of Tuesday’s game against Ohio State. The Boilermakers held a 41-28 lead and were 20 minutes away from their 27th straight win at Mackey Arena.

But the Buckeyes didn’t back down and turned the tables with a big run in the second half. That sparked the comeback to upset Purdue and snap its home winning streak.

Ohio State outscored Purdue 45-29 in the second half while shooting 66.7% from the field to get the victory. For the Buckeyes, their streak of one-score losses came to an end with the upset over the No. 11-ranked Boilermakers. But for Purdue, it marked the first loss at Mackey since February 2023.

Micah Parrish led the charge for Ohio State with a huge second half. He scored a game-high 22 points – 17 of which came after the break to help lead the Buckeyes’ comeback. Devin Royal also added 16 points to go with six rebounds.

Purdue took its largest lead of the game with 24 seconds left in the first half when the Boilermakers were up 41-25. A Bruce Thornton three-pointer made it a 41-28 ballgame heading into the locker room. Then, the Buckeyes turned on the jets.

Ohio State started the second half on a 23-7 run to take a 51-48 lead with 9:24 to play. Purdue then appeared to get back on track, regaining a 59-53 advantage. But the Buckeyes didn’t back down, rattling off another 17-8 run before the final 30 seconds. The two teams then exchanged free throws, and things got chaotic down the stretch.

Ultimately, Ohio State pulled it off. It not only marked the Buckeyes’ first win at Mackey since 2018, but also meant Purdue fell at its home arena since a loss to Indiana in 2023.

With the victory, Ohio State snapped its three-game losing streak to improve to 11-8 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes will now get a few days off before taking on Iowa Jan. 27 back home in Columbus.

Purdue, meanwhile, entered Tuesday with seven consecutive victories, and the loss dropped the Boilermakers to 15-5 overall and 7-2 in league action. They will regroup and welcome Michigan for a primetime showdown in West Lafayette on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.