WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) Purdue's P.J. Thompson played big Thursday night when his taller, better known teammates needed him most.
Twice, he drew critical fouls on Ohio State. Twice, he made the two free throws. And twice, he delivered devastating 3-pointers.
On a night No. 22 Purdue struggled offensively, the usually light-scoring Thompson bailed out his teammates by scoring 10 of his 12 points in a decisive final flurry to give the Boilermakers a 75-64 victory over Ohio State.
''Vince (Edwards) was to my right and I was going to make the extra pass to him, and try to get him a good luck. I kind of ball-faked it a little bit and they went to him, so I just stepped into it,'' Thompson said of the second 3 that extended the lead to eight with 1:03 to go.
It was just what the Boilermakers (17-3, 5-2) needed.
The sophomore came into the game averaging 5.4 points and having scored in double figures just once in the previous 13 games. It looked like that trend might continue with 7 1/2 minutes to go.
But after Ryan Cline's 3-pointer finally gave Purdue the lead, 53-52, with 9:02 to play, Thompson warmed up.
With Purdue clinging to a 55-54 lead, Thompson made two free throws and then a 3 to make it 60-54.
And with the Buckeyes still hanging around, down 66-61, Thompson hit his second 3 and followed that with two more free throws.
Game over.
''We had some guys step up,'' Edwards said after finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds. ''(Ryan Cline) hit a huge one. P.J. stepped up big time for us and our bigs did a good job of finishing on the inside.''
Thompson did have help.
A.J. Hammons scored 16 points and had eight rebounds, Caleb Swanigan added10 points and 10 rebounds and Isaac Haas scored 10 points as the Boilermakers (17-3, 5-2 Big Ten) won their third straight.
Ohio State (12-8, 4-3) shot well in the first half but struggled in the second half.
Jae'Sean Tate had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Kam Williams scored all 14 of his points in the first half when he made four of the Buckeyes' six 3s. In the second half, Ohio State was 0 for 5 on 3s and never led after Cline's basket.
''That's what good teams do. That's what good teams do down the stretch,'' Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said. ''They definitely made the plays down the stretch.''
Especially Thompson.
ON THE REBOUND
The Boilermakers are on a record-breaking rebounding pace and didn't hurt themselves Thursday when they had a 38-30 advantage over the Buckeyes. Purdue came into the game with a plus-12.6 rebounding margin, the best in the nation. The school's single-season record is plus-7.6.
ROUGH ROAD
The Buckeyes finished a five-game stretch in which they played four road games and lost three times. Ohio State is now 1-3 on the road in Big Ten play -- losing all three in the last 11 days.
TURNING THE TABLES
Purdue has relied on its bench and size inside to win most of this season. The Buckeyes took those advantages away Thursday. Ohio State had a 31-25 advantage off the bench and a 32-26 advantage in the paint. But the Boilermakers, who forced 12 turnovers, still managed to win.
TIP-INS
Ohio State: Loving scored nine points after not playing at Purdue last season while the first game of the first game of a three-game suspension. ... The Buckeyes are 15-20 all-time against the Boilermakers when Purdue is ranked and 1-3 against Top 25 teams this season. ... It's the fifth straight game in the series that Ohio State failed to score 70 points.
Purdue: Has won 18 of its last 19 home games, 13 of them by 12 or more points. ... The Boilermakers have held 17 opponents, including Ohio State, below their scoring average this season. ... Purdue missed all eight of its 3s in the first half and finished just 4 of 17 from beyond the arc.
UP NEXT
Ohio State hosts Penn State on Monday.
Purdue visits Iowa on Sunday.
