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came back, especially in the first half. You do good things and you miss a layup — no one's trying to miss a layup — or we pass it one time, then take a bad shot. It's hard to run good offense from that." Offense was a problem, though Purdue was pleased to have committed only six turnovers, none of them in the second half. But defense was just as great a concern. Ohio State shot 56 percent. Tom Campbell Thomas made Deshaun Thomas was close to unstoppable against the Boilermakers, finishing with 22 points, including 14 in the first 8-of-13 shots and half, in Ohio State's win. scored 22 points, 14 of them in the first half, 39 percent and missed numer- helping the Buckeyes to a 39-29 ous point-blank shots around the lead at the break that would have rim, including a number of hon- been greater had they not turned est-to-goodness layups. the ball over 11 times. "We just have five to 10 posCraft scored 15 on 6-of-7 sessions where they're demoral- shooting. All but two of his points izing for us: Air-balls, quick pe- came after halftime, as he made rimeter shots that are contested, important shots and repeatedly and it sets us back more than a drew fouls against Purdue. possession," Painter said. "Four Not much went right for or five games ago, we really im- Purdue in its third game in as proved in that area. Tonight it many tries against a ranked op- ponent to open Big Ten play. Yet, the Boilermakers didn't get blown out, when they easily could have at certain points in the game. "Being down 10 (at halftime), we definitely thought we had a chance," guard Terone Johnson said of the Boilermakers' second consecutive Big Ten loss. "In the second half, I thought we fought. But we have to fight that way from the beginning instead of starting at the end." He led Purdue with 18 points, but on 8-of-21 shooting. Hammons scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Ronnie Johnson scored 11 with seven assists to just two turnovers. Purdue got within four in the final three minutes, but missed its final six shots and the Buckeyes scored the game's final six minutes. Key player Ohio State didn't flinch coming into Mackey Arena, as illustrated by Thomas needing just seconds to can a tough jump shot that showed right from the get-go what the Boilermakers were up against. Thomas lit it up from the perimeter, often making difficult shots. "He has no conscience," said Byrd, one of several Boilermakers to guard Thomas at one time or another. "He catches the ball and if he's a little bit open, even if he's guarded ... he can shoot over it. He's 6-7 and long and he can get a shot over pretty much anybody." Key stretch Around the 10-minute mark of the first half, Purdue was down just five even though it was getting hammered in the rebounding column and Thomas was going off. But Thomas made a jumper, then a three to trigger a run of nine straight Buckeye points to push the visitors' lead into double-figures. Later, with 10:20 left, after Purdue had trimmed its deficit down to five, Ohio State doubled it with a dunk by Amir Williams and an and-one by Craft. Key stat Ohio State outrebounded Purdue 22-11 in the first half, with the Boilermakers grabbing the final two boards of the half just to get to double-digits. The Buckeyes' scored 10 of their first-half points off second chances, accounting for their halftime cushion. TAKEAWAYS S Purdue's a significantly better team today than it was to begin the year or even than it was a month ago. The improvement has been marked, but wins remain hard to come by in the Big Ten this particular season. S Point guard is the one position where its improvement would most profoundly impact Purdue's as a whole. You're seeing that with Ronnie Johnson. S Who's the second-best center in the Big Ten right now? It might be A.J. Hammons already. S If there was a quick fix, Purdue would have used it by now, but the foul shooting woes are back. The Boilermakers missed important ones in the second half at Michigan State and were 10of-21 vs. Penn State. Ronnie Johnson, for as improved as he's been, simply has to do better at the line, where he's shooting 29 percent in Big Ten play. j GoldanDBlack express • volume 23, express 17 • 10