| PURDUE 60 (15-8, 7-3), [20 | 20] Ohio State 58 Mackey Arena | 12,087 - Box Score | Box Score  | SoundCloud Audio | Highlights  | Interviews | Photos  | Media CenterSocial Media: @BoilerBall  | Facebook  | Instragram | SoundCloud |
Jon Octeus scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Purdue's 60-58 win over No. 20-ranked Ohio State.
#BoilerNotes
- Purdue improved to 84-88 all-time against Ohio State, the only team in the Big Ten that Purdue does not have a winning record against. The win snapped a six-game losing streak to the Buckeyes, which was the third-longest active streak against one opponent.
- Purdue has now matched last season's win total (15) and moved Purdue to 7-3 in the Big Ten, its best mark in league play after 10 games since starting the 2010-11 season with a 7-3 record. Purdue has now been 7-3 or better in four of Matt Painter's 10 years in charge.
- Purdue's four-game Big Ten winning streak is its longest since winning seven in a row from Feb. 8 to March 1, 2011.
- During Purdue's four-game winning streak, the Boilermakers have led for at least 30 minutes in all four games.
- An unranked Purdue team has now won three consecutive (not in a row) games against nationally-ranked foes for the first time since the 1978-79 season.
- Purdue held Ohio State to 58 points, 22.0 points below its pregame scoring average. In regulation play only, no Big Ten has reached its pregame scoring average.
- Purdue has made five or fewer three-pointers in five straight games.
- Purdue improved to 11-1 this year when leading at halftime.
- Purdue improved to 14-3 when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent.
- Purdue improved to 13-0 this year when shooting more free throws than its opponent. Over the last three games, Purdue has outscored its opponents by 41 points at the free throw line (68-27). During that span, Purdue is shooting 68-of-92 (.739) from the free throw line.
- Purdue is 7-0 this year when holding opponents to 59 or fewer points. In the Matt Painter era, Purdue is now 100-4 when holding foes to 59 points or less. - Purdue's nine blocked shots were the most against Ohio State since having 10 against the Buckeyes on Feb. 5, 1997, a span of 29 games.
- Purdue's junior class combined for 27 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals while going 9-of-13 from the field and 9-of-12 from the free throw line.
- A.J. Hammons' seven blocked shots were the fourth most in a game in school history. In his last three games, he has recorded the third-most blocks in a game (8 vs. Indiana) and fourth-most blocks in a game in school history (7 vs. Ohio State).
- In his last four games against Ohio State, A.J. Hammons has blocked 20 shots.
- Purdue is 9-1 this year when A.J. Hammons leads the team in rebounds, and 8-0 when he wins the opening tip.
- Rapheal Davis scored in double-figures for the fifth straight game, tallying his third 20-point game of the season and adding six rebounds. Over the last five games, Davis 18.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
- Jon Octeus scored his 800th career point by scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Over the last two games, he is averaging 14.0 PPG and 7.0 RPG.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) Purdue coach Matt Painter has his Boilermakers rekindling welcome memories.
They're playing lockdown defense. They're beating opponents to loose balls. And, yes, they're even beating ranked teams with regularity.
Rapheal Davis scored 20 points Wednesday, and a stout defense rescued Purdue from its own free-throw shooting woes to barely hold on for a 60-58 upset over No. 20 Ohio State.
''I think we have really grown up,'' Davis said. ''Beating three Top 25 teams is really good, but we can get better in a lot of areas.''
Purdue (15-8, 7-3 Big Ten) hasn't celebrated a stretch like this in years.
A four-game winning streak has the Boilermakers off to their best conference start since going 9-1 in 2007-08. They beat the Buckeyes for the first time in nearly four years, snapping a six-game skid.
Purdue has won three straight over ranked opponents for the first time since January-February 2010. All three of those wins have come with the Boilermakers unranked, a feat they last achieved during a January-February stretch in 1979.
Not surprisingly, the Mackey Arena crowd roared with approval as the buzzer sounded.
''It was a big game for us,'' Painter said. ''Ohio State has had our number.''
The Buckeyes (17-6, 6-4) also had their chances, including a 40-foot desperation heave from D'Angelo Russell at the buzzer. But the shot never came close, typifying a strange night for the Big Ten's second-highest scoring team.
Russell finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The only other Buckeye in double figures was Amir Williams with 10 points.
Ohio State did play short-handed after school officials announced Marc Loving had been suspended indefinitely. Coach Thad Matta didn't elaborate on the reason for the suspension, explaining only that Loving, who leads the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage at 53 percent, would have to earn his way back onto the team.
Yet the Buckeyes nearly pulled off an incredible comeback.
After trailing 36-28 early in the second half, they charged back to take two brief leads, at 41-40 and 44-42.
When Purdue answered with 10 straight points to make it 52-44, the Buckeyes' took advantage of Purdue's free-throw struggles to close the gap. Russell's 3 with 31.2 seconds left made it 58-56. After Jon Octeus made 1 of 2 free throws, Russell made both of his to cut the deficit to 59-58 with 6.4 seconds to go.
Kendall Stephens then made 1 of 2 from the line and the Boilermakers' defense buckled down and held on - just like Painter's teams used to do in the 1990s when he also played as a Boilermakers guard.
''I told them that we don't have to get a 3 if he could drive it all the way,'' Matta said after Ohio State's three-game winning streak ended. ''(Bryson Scott) played good defense on him.''
TIP-INS
Boilermakers: One week after becoming the only Purdue player other than Joe Barry Carroll to block eight shots in a game, A.J. Hammons was back at it against the Buckeyes. He finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and seven blocks. Octeus added 14 points for the Boilermakers.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers travel to Minnesota on Saturday.
WOODEN TRIBUTE
Purdue honored one of its best-known ex-players, John Wooden, with a video tribute at halftime. Painter and several other former Boilermakers players including Troy Lewis, Robbie Hummel and Brian Cardinal, all talked about what Wooden meant to the university.
#BoilerUp