Written by David Regimbal

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The Ohio State Buckeyes -- fueled by a 30 point, 12 rebound performance by Jared Sullinger -- rushed past a stubborn Purdue Boilermakers team in the Quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament for an 88-71 victory last night.

After Ohio State rushed out to an early 10 point lead, Purdue got hot from behind the arch (they hit 12 of 26 3-pointers) and kept pace with the Buckeyes until the closing minutes of the game. The Buckeyes were up 62-59 after Purdue’s D.J. Byrd hit a 3-pointer with seven and a half minutes left.

That’s when the Buckeyes put the Boilermakers away. After Byrd’s 3-pointer, Ohio State went on a 17-2 run in four minutes. The Buckeyes hit 7-9 shots from the field during that stretch and limited Purdue to just 1-7 shooting with a turnover during the run.

Sullinger and the rest of the Ohio State starters enjoyed the last two minutes of the game from the bench as the Buckeyes turned what was a close game into a comfortable victory.

The sophomore All-American talked about his 30-point performance after the game, "Honestly, not trying to toot my own horn, we played through me," Sullinger said. "I thought that was the biggest key to this game. Our guards found a way to find me in the post."

Deshaun Thomas had a big game as well. Thomas scored 22 points off of 9-13 shooting with seven rebounds against Purdue. He and Sullinger destroyed the Boilermakers down low, helping the Buckeyes gain a 48-18 advantage with points in the paint.

The Buckeyes started the game hot and connected on four of their first six shots from the field. Purdue missed their first six shots and Ohio State built a 9-0 lead through three minutes. Sullinger looked light on his feet to start the game -- as active as he’s been all season -- and scored eight points as the Buckeyes led 13-3. It looked like the game was going to be controlled by Ohio State, but Purdue got hot. After missing eight of their first nine shots, the Boilermakers connected on six straight buckets while going on a 15-6 run.

Sullinger went to the bench midway through the first half, but Thomas stepped up and carried the scoring load. The sophomore forward scored seven straight points during one stretch and kept the Buckeyes ahead while the Boilermakers made their surge. After Sullinger made it back to the court, the sophomore duo continued to tear up the glass and get points in the paint. Sullinger and Thomas combined for 29 of Ohio State’s 40 first half points and helped the Buckeyes shoot an efficient 60% from the field. But Purdue was able to keep pace with the Buckeyes, hitting six of their 13 3-pointers in the first half as Ohio State took a 40-36 lead into the break at halftime.

The Buckeyes maintained a four point lead early in the second half as both teams traded buckets. Tempers began to flare on Purdue’s side when Boilermakers coach Matt Painter was called for a technical fou three minutes into the halfl. A Purdue player trashed at Sullinger on the next play, but the Buckeyes stayed strong and went on a 6-0 run against the emotional Boilermakers.

Purdue responded, going on a 10-2 run of their own to cut the deficit to three. Time ran out for the undersized Boilermakers as Ohio State clamped down on defense, fueling their late-game 17-2 run.

"Finally we broke down and had that run," Sullinger said. "Our communication was great. Like coach Matta always tells us, when we're talking on the defensive end, that always carries over to our offense."

The Buckeyes now move on to the semifinals for a matchup against the No. 2 seeded Michigan Wolverines. The game will tip-off at around 4:00 pm EST and be televised by CBS.

(Photo credit - Jim Davidson - TheOzone.net)

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