Buford’s late heroics save OSU

COLUMBUS, Ohio – With two starters on the bench and the score tied late in Tuesday night’s game with Purdue, No. 3 Ohio State needed its most experienced player to take control.

And that’s what William Buford did.

Buford, the only senior on the roster, scored a career-high 29 points and capped his night with a pivotal dunk in the final minute to lead the Buckeyes past hot-shooting Purdue 87-84.

“I just got good looks,” Buford said. “I was taking them and fortunate enough to knock them down. I wasn’t thinking about my shots, I was just shooting the ball like my teammates have been telling me to do. That was about it.”

The win was Ohio State’s 39th in a row at home – since losing to Purdue two years ago at Value City Arena.

Buford scored 21 points in the second half to carry the Buckeyes (21-3, 9-2 Big Ten) while All-America Jared Sullinger and point guard Aaron Craft were on the bench with foul trouble. He scored seven straight points for Ohio State as it took the lead for good, his dunk with 39 seconds left sealed it.

Sullinger had 18 points and Deshaun Thomas and Craft 13 added apiece for the first-place Buckeyes, who have won six straight and eight of nine.

D.J. Byrd, averaging 6.5 points a game, had a career-best 24 for the Boilermakers (15-9, 5-6), while Kelsey Barlow and Lewis Jackson each had 14 and Robbie Hummel added 13.