WATCH: Chris Holtmann Discusses 82-55 Loss Against Purdue Basketball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After losing back-to-back games on the road, No. 3 Purdue basketball responded with an emphatic 82-55 victory over Ohio State on Sunday at Mackey Arena.
The Boilermakers led by nine points at halftime, but after merging from the locker room, they were able to push their lead into double digits and never slowed down. The Buckeyes shot just 10-of-27 from the field in the second half.
"I thought their ability to get the stops in the second half and kind of take it from a nine to a 15-point game and build from there was too much for us to overcome," Ohio State head coach Holtmann said. "But give them credit. I thought our guys battled really well in spots, but Purdue has an excellent team."
Purdue was led by junior center Zach Edey, who scored a game-high 26 points and led the team with 11 rebounds. Without starting forward Zed Key, who missed the game due to a shoulder injury, Ohio State was outmanned underneath the basket.
The Buckeyes started freshman center Felix Oparka, who played 16 minutes and scored four points on a pair of shot attempts. Junior forward Own Spencer saw six minutes of action off the bench, logging four fouls in the first half.
"He's a load in there," Holtmann said of Edey. "It's not just him, they rebound the ball really well, but he's the largest player that those guys have ever played against."
After being outrebounded by Maryland in a 68-54 loss Thursday, Purdue dominated the glass and finished with a 44-21 advantage over Ohio State. Junior forward Mason Gillis grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds while sophomore Caleb Furst had six off the bench.
The team's 14 offensive rebounds led to 17 second-chance points. Edey and Gillis combined for four offensive boards in the first 2:14 after halftime. Redshirt freshman forward Trey Kaufman-Renn tallied three rebounds in 14 minutes and four others recorded two each.
"I think they're always active. I mean, they're the third-best offensive rebounding team in the country," Holtmann said. "They're an elite offensive rebounding team, elite. And it's not just Edey, it's Furst and Gillis who get a lot of them."
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.