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Behind Bruce Thornton's career night, Ohio State beats Purdue Fort Wayne: Replay
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- Behind Bruce Thornton's career night, Ohio State beats Purdue Fort Wayne: Replay
Bruce Thornton set a new career scoring high and Ohio State (2-0) never trailed in a 94-68 home win against Purdue Fort Wayne .
The Buckeyes' senior guard , named a four-time captain earlier in the week, set a new career high when he hit two free throws with 5:34 left to give him 35 points and put Ohio State ahead 80-61 on the Mastodons (0-2). The Buckeyes jumped out to a 13-2 lead in the first 150 seconds and never looked back, maintaining a comfortable lead throughout.
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Thornton subbed out for the final time with 2:03 left to an ovation from the home crowd after his final shot, a 3-pointer, gave him 38 points to go with five rebounds and five assists. He was 14 for 17 from the floor, 5 for 8 from 3-point range and perfect on five free throws.
Sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. added 19 points for the Buckeyes, who despite the final score turned it over 19 times.
Both teams opened their seasons Nov. 3. The Buckeyes took care of IU Indy in the second-fastest game in the KenPom.com era, which dates back to the 1996-97 season, with a 118-102 final score . The Mastodons lost 90-71 at Grand Canyon.
Follow along with all the action at our Dispatch live game blog below.
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New Career high for Bruce Thornton
With 5:34 to play, Bruce Thornton hit both sides of the one-and-one and was subbed out with Ohio State ahead 80-61 and 35 points to his name. That surpasses his previous career high of 33 and marks his fourth 30-plus-point game.
Thornton is 13 for 16 from the floor, 4 for 7 from 3-point range and perfect on five fre throws.
Bruce Thornton up to 30 points, Ohio State up big late
Thornton's iso bucket in the paint moved him to 30 points, and a John Mobley Jr. 3-pointer on the next possession pushed Ohio State to a 75-57 lead at the under-8 media timeout with 7:12 to play.
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Purdue Fort Wayne is 11 for 21 (52.4%) from the field in the second half.
Bruce Thornton passes Jon Diebler on career scoring list
With a 3-pointer at 11:40 of the second half, Thornton climbed to 26 points for the game and passed Jon Diebler for No. 15 on Ohio State's all-time scoring list.
The Buckeyes lead 63-52 with a Purdue Fort Wayne free throw pending after the Mastodons pulled within seven points at 57-50. Ohio State then answered with a 3-pointer from Devin Royal at 12:20, his first shot of the game.
Purdue Fort Wayne back within single digits after Ohio State turnovers
John Mobley Jr.'s ill-advised pass from the right corner back to the backcourt was easily nabbed by Deangelo Elisee, and he scored on the breakaway to pull the visitors within 55-46 with 14:28 left.
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Ohio State coach Jake Diebler called timeout and immediately talked to captain Bruce Thornton before going to the huddle. That's now four turnovers on five possessions for the Buckeyes, who are shooting 63.9% from the floor but have 14 turnovers.
This is the first time the Mastodons have been within single digits since Ohio State jumped out to a 13-8 lead with 17:37 left.
Gabe Cupps starts second half in place of Devin Royal
Ohio State guard Gabe Cupps has opened the second half in the lineup in place of junior wing Devin Royal. After a scoreless first half with two fouls, Royal is on an exercise bike near the team bench as the second half gets underway.
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Ohio State leads Purdue Fort Wayne by 15 at halftime
Bruce Thornton's last-minute scoring flurry helped push Ohio State to a 45-30 halftime lead on the Mastodons.
The Buckeyes scored on 12 of their first 18 possessions to build a 30-14 lead at the midpoint of the first half but then scored on only two of their next 10. Purdue Fort Wayne wasn't able to get much going, either, but on those eight empty possessions the Buckeyes turned it over five times.
They close the first half shooting 62.1% (18 for 29) from the floor but have 10 turnovers. Purdue Fort Wayne is 12 for 30 (40.0%) and just 4 for 15 (26.7%) from 3.
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Thornton has 19 points and John Mobley Jr. has 14. Devin Royal, who had 22 points in the opener against IU Indy, is scoreless at the half.
Bruce Thornton scores seven points in 37 seconds
With Ohio State's offense consistently turning it over and Purdue Fort Wayne within 38-27, Ohio State's Bruce Thornton took over and scored on three straight possessions on drives to the basket. One was an and-one, and the result was seven points in 37 seconds for the Ohio State captain. He has 19 at the half.
Buckeyes closing out first half with double-digit lead
Ohio State had 30 points with 10:33 left in the first half, but the Buckeyes now lead 38-23 with exactly three minutes to play at the under-4 media timeout. That's only eight points in the last 7:33 of game time as Ohio State has turned it over five times during that stretch.
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Pace slows, but Ohio State still comfortably ahead
A Bruce Thornton 3-pointer put Ohio State ahead 30-14, but from there both teams combined for five consecutive empty possessions before an Amare Bynum free throw (the first of his Ohio State career).
The Buckeyes lead 31-17 and have the ball with 7:51 left in the half despite not having made a field goal in the last 2:42. Ohio State also has 31 points without starters Devin Royal and Brandon Noel having taken a single shot.
Ohio State on pace to top 100 points again
With 11:53 left in the first half, the Buckeyes lead Purdue Fort Wayne 24-9.
Ohio State out to big lead on Purdue Fort Wayne
There hasn't been much drama in the early going. Ohio State hit its first seven shots from the field and holds a 22-7 lead at the under-16 timeout, which didn't arrive until 12:57 remaining in the first half.
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An example of this offense looking different than in the past: Devin Royal stole the ball from Mastodons guard DeAndre Craig Jr., fed it to center Christoph Tilly who dribbled to the top of the circle, drove past his defender and scored.
John Mobley Jr. has eight points and Bruce Thornton and Tilly each have seven, accounting for all of Ohio State's early points.
Buckeyes come out hot against Mastodons
Purdue Fort Wayne has already used a timeout with 17:37 left in the first half as Ohio State is perfect on five shots from the floor and leads 13-2. Christoph Tilly and Bruce Thornton each have five points.
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Starters for Ohio State-Purdue Fort Wayne
Here are tonight's starters:
Ohio State- Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr., Devin Royal, Brandon Noel, Christoph Tilly
Purdue Fort Wayne- DeAndre Craig, Corey Hadnot II, Mikale Stevenson, Maximus Nelson, Darius Duffy
Key matchup to watch in Ohio State-Purdue Fort Wayne
In their season opener, the Mastodons started three guards: Mikale Stevenson, DeAndre Craig Jr. and Corey Hadnott II. Stevenson (6-foot-2, 190 pounds), Craig (6-foot-0, 180 pounds) and Hadnott (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) combined for 49 of Purdue Fort Wayne's 71 points.
"They have dynamic guard play, and that's where it starts," Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. "Coach (Jon Coffman) has done a really good job there. Every year you expect them to be one of the best teams in that league. He's got a really good team led by his guards."
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Video: Ohio State-Purdue Fort Wayne pregame thoughts
No surprises on injury report
Only two Buckeyes are unavailable for the game and neither was expected to participate. Ohio State will redshirt freshman guard Myles Herro , who is listed as out for the season on the official injury report, and Baylor transfer Josh Ojianwuna is still out as he recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in February.
Ohio State vs Purdue Fort Wayne score updates
This section will be updated when the game begins.
Ohio State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne time today
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Date: Friday, Nov. 7
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Start time: 6:30 p.m. ET
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Location: Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
What channel is Ohio State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne on today?
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TV Channel:Big Ten Network
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Streaming:Fubo
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Radio: WBSN-FM (97.1)
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Ohio State vs Purdue Fort Wayne will air nationally on the Big Ten Network in the second game of the 2025-26 men's college basketball season for the Buckeyes. Jason Rose and former Buckeyes captain Joey Lane will call the game from Value City Arena. The game will be streaming on Fubo , which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Stream Ohio State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Ohio State vs Purdue Fort Wayne history
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Series record:Ohio State leads 2-0
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Ohio State's last win:Nov. 11, 2018 (107-61)
Ohio State vs Purdue Fort Wayne predictions, picks, odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Nov. 6
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Spread:Ohio State by 22.5
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Over/under:110
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Moneyline:Ohio State (-10000); Purdue Fort Wayne (+1650)
Ohio State Buckeyes center Christoph Tilly (13) high fives guard Bruce Thornton (2) during the NCAA men's basketball game against the IU Indy Jaguars at Value City Arena in Columbus on Nov. 3, 2025. Ohio State won the season opener 118-102.
Ohio State men's basketball schedule
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Oct. 26 - Ohio University (exhibition) W, 103-74 ( takeaways )
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Nov. 3 - IU Indy, W, 118-102 ( takeaways )
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Nov. 7 - Purdue Fort Wayne
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Nov. 11 - Appalachian State
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Nov. 16 - Notre Dame
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Nov. 20 - Western Michigan
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Nov. 25 - Mount St. Mary's
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Nov. 28 - at Pitt
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Dec. 6 - at Northwestern
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Dec. 9 - Illinois
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Dec. 13 - vs. West Virginia (Cleveland Hoops Showdown, Cleveland)
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Dec. 20 - vs. North Carolina (CBS Sports Classic, Atlanta)
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Dec. 23 - Grambling State
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Jan. 2 - at Rutgers
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Jan. 5 - Nebraska
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Jan. 8 - at Oregon
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Jan. 11 - at Washington
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Jan. 17 - UCLA
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Jan. 20 - Minnesota
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Jan. 23 - at Michigan
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Jan. 26 - Penn State
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Jan. 31 - at Wisconsin
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Feb. 5 - at Maryland
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Feb. 8 - Michigan
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Feb. 11 - USC
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Feb. 14 - vs. Virginia (Nashville Hoops Showdown, Nashville)
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Feb. 17 - Wisconsin
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Feb. 22 - at Michigan State
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Feb. 25 - at Iowa
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March 1 - Purdue
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March 4 - at Penn State
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March 7 - Indiana
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Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @ cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @ AdamJardy .
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Bruce Thornton leads Ohio State past Purdue Fort Wayne: Replay
