Purdue Frustrated by Defensive Performance in Loss to Ohio State

When you look at the final stat sheet from No. 11 Purdue's 73-70 loss to Ohio State on Tuesday night, you might be quick to point to 3-point shooting as the biggest indicator of the outcome. But junior guard Fletcher Loyer said that, defensively, the Boilermakers didn't perform at a high enough level in the second half.

Purdue shot just nine times from behind the 3-point arc, connecting on three. It was the third straight game in which the Boilers were held to just three made baskets from long distance, going three-of-13 against Washington and just two-of-12 against Oregon.

Ohio State, on the other hand, had quite the night from long range. The Buckeyes connected on 11-of-23 shots from distance Tuesday night, with Micah Parrish hitting six-of-eight.

"We'd like to see a higher volume and a couple more makes, but ultimately it was our defense to start that second half," Loyer said after the game. "It wasn't up to par and not what we need. Yeah, you can make three threes (and win). We should have won that game. It had nothing to do with how many threes we made."

Purdue got off to a great start, building a 16-point lead late in the first half. But with time expiring, Ohio State's Bruce Thornton knocked down a long 3-point shot, making the score 41-28 at the half.

It didn't seem like much at the time, but that bucket sparked a 20-2 run that carried into the second half, giving Ohio State its first lead of the game. Those first six minutes were the difference in the game.

"We just didn't start off good in the second half — had a couple of turnovers, missed a few shots, but ultimately, I think it was our defense," Loyer said. "(We) let them score easy buckets and get out and do what they wanted to do."

Purdue was still aggressive on the defensive end, forcing Ohio State into 18 turnovers. By the end of the game, the Boilers outscored the Buckeyes 30-5 in points off turnovers — a theme behind Purdue's success during the seven-game winning streak.

So, where did Ohio State gain the advantage in the second half?

"I feel like it was us staying square to the ball," freshman Gicarri Harris said. "They ran a couple of ghost screens and we turned our hips and gave them the angle to get downhill and gave them opportunities to play-make. We were just breaking down too easily on defense and that allowed them to drive to the basket and get kick-out threes. Then, they made a couple of tough threes at the end."

It was a stark difference between the first and second halves for Ohio State. The Buckeyes shot just 38.1% in the first 20 minutes but finished the game with a 53.3% field goal rate. They were also 14-of-17 from the free throw line.

During its long winning streak, Purdue relied heavily on its defensive pressure. The Boilermakers played well on that end for 20 minutes but couldn't put together a complete game on Tuesday night.

A few more made buckets from 3-point range would've helped their cause, as well.

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