Gicarri Harris scored a career-high 23 points, 15 of them in the second half, as Purdue pulled away from Ohio 80-62 on Friday night at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, dropping the Bobcats to 2-1 on the season, the Journal Gazette reported. Harris hit all three of his 3-point tries after halftime, and the Boilermakers shot 54 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, according to the Journal Gazette’s account, with the career-high scoring mark reported by IndyStar.
Purdue led 37-28 at halftime despite shooting just 35 percent in the first half, the Journal Gazette reported. The separation came early in the second half: Purdue held Ohio to one basket and a few free throws over a six-minute stretch to stretch the lead to 56-41, according to the Journal Gazette, and the Bobcats never recovered.
Harris led three Boilermakers in double figures, with Antione West adding 17 points and C.J. Cox 16, the Journal Gazette reported. Purdue’s nine fastbreak points were a season high, according to the account. The win evened Purdue’s record at 2-2.
Jackson Paveletzke led Ohio with 16 points, according to the Journal Gazette. The Bobcats arrived at Mackey Arena at 2-0 after opening the season with wins at South Alabama and over North Carolina A&T, and the trip to a Big Ten arena was their first loss of the young season.
For Ohio, the night was a measuring stick more than a setback: a Mid-American Conference contender testing itself in one of college basketball’s loudest buildings, staying within nine at halftime before Purdue’s second-half shooting — 54 percent, with Harris perfect from three after the break — put the game out of reach, according to the Journal Gazette’s account.
What happens next: Ohio returns home to the Convocation Center in Athens to host Morehead State on Wednesday, November 18, at 7 p.m., while Purdue stays home to host Lipscomb on Tuesday, November 17, at 6:30 p.m., according to the Journal Gazette’s account. Game details in this report are from the Journal Gazette, with Harris’s career-high mark reported by IndyStar.
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