Ohio State

Ohio State upsets No. 2 Purdue after firing Chris Holtmann

COLUMBUS — The Ohio State Buckeyes capped an emotional week by upsetting No. 2 Purdue, 73-69, on Sunday afternoon in Columbus.

>>RELATED: Ohio State fires Chris Holtmann as men’s basketball coach

The win comes after the Buckeyes fired Chris Holtmann as men’s basketball coach on Wednesday and replaced him with interim coach Jake Diebler.

Bruce Thorton led the way with 22 points and four rebounds while Jamison Battled added 19, all in the second half.

The Boilermakers jumped out to an 8-0 lead, but Ohio State ended the first half on a 14-2 run to lead, 35-30, at halftime.

Ohio State’s largest lead was 50-38 at the 14:20 mark, but Purdue fought back to even the score at 65-65 with 1:39 to play.

Battle’s jumper put the Buckeyes ahead for good, 67-65, with 1:19 remaining.

Ohio State sealed the win by making six straight free throws, including four by Battle.

The Buckeyes improve to 15-11 overall, (5-10 in the Big Ten).

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