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Ohio State lives and dies from behind 3-point line in loss to Purdue

The efforts of Duane Washington Jr. weren't enough against Purdue.
The efforts of Duane Washington Jr. weren't enough against Purdue. (AP)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The ethos of Ohio State basketball has been quite apparent over its past four games: Three is worth more than two.

Chris Holtmann’s team has attempted 105 3-pointers in its last 160 minutes on the hardwood; 45 of those have found the bottom of the net.

That trend was ever-apparent on Tuesday evening, for better and for worse.

Ohio State shot 14-of-35 against Purdue in a 67-65 loss, including nine makes in a first half that saw 34 combined shots launched from beyond the arc.

“They were all good shots," junior guard Duane Washington said. "I thought we could’ve taken a few better ones-- myself included-- but other than that, man, they were all really good shots for us. We have some really good shooters on our team and they were going in early.”

After just three total games with double-digit 3-point makes entering 2021, Tuesday marked the Buckeyes’ fourth-consecutive contest with at least 10 makes.

Their 35 attempts were also the most by an Ohio State team since a 2018 NCAA Tournament matchup with South Dakota State.

The insertion of junior sharpshooter Justin Ahrens into the starting lineup has undoubtedly made an impact on Ohio State’s marksmanship. When Ahrens is confidently firing away, he becomes a threat to an entire opposing defense.

The result? More open looks for every other Buckeye, which isn't always a good thing.

E.J. Liddell was the recipient of those looks against Illinois, cashing in on a career-high four makes from the outside. It was Washington’s turn against the Boilermakers; the junior guard connected on six of his nine long-range shots on Wednesday night.

Nearly everyone on the court was firing at will against Purdue-- all five members of the Ohio State starting lineup chucked up at least three 3-pointers in the loss (yes, even Kyle Young), a jarring contrast from the interior grind of games past.

“We need to get better at getting the ball where we want to get the ball," Washington said. "The Purdue defense does a good job of speeding you up and trying to get you out of the stuff that you want to run, and they took advantage of us on that end."

Ohio State starters' 3-point attempts
Column 1 MIN PTS 3-point attempts 2-point attempts

Justin Ahrens

34

12

3-for-9

0-for-0

E.J. Liddell

30

11

1-for-4

2-for-3

Justice Sueing

31

8

2-for-4

0-for-4

Duane Washington

33

21

6-for-9

1-for-5

Kyle Young

28

7

1-for-3

2-for-4

That gun-slinging mentality certainly proved to be a double-edged sword.

The Buckeyes had a stretch of four made 3-pointers on six consecutive attempts that extended their lead to 11 in the first half, but the law of averages reared its ugly head in half number two.

Washington and company started the period 1-for-6 from distance and couldn’t keep up their flaming-hot pace from the first half, finishing with only five makes on 13 attempts in the 20 minutes that mattered most.

When outside looks weren’t available, Holtmann’s offense broke down without a point guard; Ohio State shot just 37.5 percent in the second half and looked uncomfortable in any sort of half-court offense.

In the end, 64.6 percent of the Buckeyes’ 65 points had come from behind the 3-point line. For reference, Mississippi Valley State leads the country, scoring 52.7 percent of its points on 3-pointers. The Delta Devils entered Wednesday with a record of 0-12.

Not the best precedent to follow.

“We probably took a few too many. That’s the way their defense is built-- they leave guys open that they want to shoot," Holtmann said. "They don’t guard you. They close out really short. Give them credit-- it’s been really successful for them.”

When outside looks aren’t falling and there isn’t a clear path to points anywhere else, piecing together a win becomes exponentially harder-- a fact that was proven true by Ohio State on Tuesday night.

The Buckeyes simply could not muster enough from the outside when things mattered most.

Nights like these are bound to happen when a team relies on the 3-pointer as much as Ohio State has in recent days.

“We made some shots early. When you make shots, it kinda eliminates the other stuff," Washington said. "The ball’s not always gonna go in the rim, good shot or bad shot.”

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