WEST LAFAYETTE | Purdue forward Robbie Hummel's career day went wasted against Ohio State.
Hummel, a Valparaiso native, scored a career-high 35 points and tied the program's single-game record for made 3-pointers with eight -- all in the first half.
It wasn't enough, though, as Ohio State rallied for a key 70-66 Big Ten win over the No. 6 Boilermakers.
As good as Hummel was in the first half, Ohio State junior Evan Turner matched the effort in the second half, finishing with 32 points, including 23 in the final 20 minutes.
With Ohio State playing a 1-3-1 zone, Hummel put on a shooting display in the first half, scoring 29 points and making 8-of-10 from beyond the arc. He matched the output of Ohio State's team in the first half, as Purdue led 41-29 at the break.
By halftime, Hummel already had eclipsed his previous single-game high of 25 points against Indiana State in 2008. His eight 3-pointers matched the effort of Cuonzo Martin, who hit his eight 3-pointers against Kansas in a Sweet 16 game in 1994.
"Everybody was doing a good job of finding me," Hummel said. "Whether it was JaJuan (Johnson) kicking it out of the post, or E'Twaun (Moore) making a good skip pass or setting a screen ... everybody. I was just fortunate to make some tonight."
Ohio State (12-5, 2-3) didn't get out of its zone until less than two minutes remained in the first half, but then Buckeyes then switched to man-to-man defense. OSU's David Lighty defended Hummel most of the remainder of the game, limiting the Purdue standout to six points on eight shot attempts in the second half.
After the game, Hummel looked visibly disturbed, borderline angered, that the Boilermakers (14-2, 2-2) let a 13-point lead in the second half slip away.
"It's a hard one to swallow," Hummel said. "We'll take tomorrow off and get back to work on Thursday. We'll see what we're made of."
Purdue coach Matt Painter said Hummel's individual effort may have disguised the team's effort.
"He camouflaged our play in the first half because we really didn't play that well," Painter said. "We didn't make good decisions, and he just flat out saved us."
E.C. Central grad Moore contributed 19 points and was the only other Boilermaker to score in double figures. His basket with 7:21 remaining gave Purdue a 58-45 lead, its largest margin in the game.
"After that we weren't smart and didn't get stops at the end," Moore said. "In the last several minutes they just made more plays than we did."
Ohio State outscored Purdue 25-8 to close the game. Purdue still had a 10-point lead, 62-52, with 4:07 remaining after JaJuan Johnson's dunk.
Turner then dominated as he scored 12 straight points, putting the Buckeyes ahead 64-62 with just under two minutes remaining.
Moore hit a jumper to tie the score at 64-64 with 1:30 to play, but Turner answered with two free throws to put OSU back ahead. On Purdue's next possession, Keaton Grant lost the ball out of bounds, and the Boilermakers never had the ball again down by one possession.
Adding injury to insult, Hummel dislocated his left pinky finger with 3:40 left in the game. He left the court to get medical treatment
"They just popped it back in, wrapped it and I was good to go," Hummel said.
Hummel returned after missing about 70 seconds of game time. Still, what was seven-point lead when he left, turned into a tie game by his return.
Purdue now faces a near must-win game at Northwestern on Saturday, assuming the Boilermakers want to keep pace of winning a Big Ten regular-season title.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Ohio State 70, No. 6 Purdue 66
E.C. Central grad E'Twaun Moore had 19 points in the loss.
More inside
Wheeler's Becca Bruszewski helps unbeaten Notre Dame women crush South Florida. PAGE B5
Records Robbie Hummel set or tied Tuesday
* Scored personal career-high 35 points (previous high was 25 points vs. Indiana State, 2008)
* Tied program's single-game record for made 3-pointers, with eight (Cuonzo Martin also hit eight 3-pointers vs. Kansas, 1994)
