No. 5 Ohio State thwarts No. 12 Purdue upset bid

(AP) LaQuinton Ross scored 19 points and Aaron Craft finished with 16 on Thursday, helping No. 24 Ohio State hang on for a 63-61 victory over Purdue in the Big Ten tournament. The win sent the defending tourney champs into Friday's quarterfinals against fourth-seeded Nebraska.

Purdue (15-17) didn't make it easy on the fifth-seeded Buckeyes. A.J. Hammons finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, while senior Terone Johnson finished with 10 for the 12th seeded Boilermakers, who were eliminated after a seventh straight loss.

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VIDEO: @OhioStateHoops held off #Purdue to advance to #B1GTourney quarterfinals, & here are the top plays. WATCH – http://t.co/5tqORUtji9

— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) March 13, 2014

VIDEO: Miss our postgame interviews with @OhioStateHoops' Thad Matta & LaQuinton Ross? Here you go. WATCH – http://t.co/ydKewqe2wy

— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) March 13, 2014

INSTANT HIGHLIGHT: That was a crazy finish! Here's how @OhioStateHoops held on to top @BoilerBall. WATCH – http://t.co/Kh9AtE0b9k

— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) March 13, 2014

INSTANT HIGHLIGHT: We've seen this before: @OhioStateHoops Aaron Craft w/ the alley, Sam Thompson the oop! WATCH – http://t.co/pZA95OfHsG

— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) March 13, 2014

VIDEO: @BoilerBall's Basil Smotherman, on the break, throws it down with authority. WATCH – http://t.co/tL520p3Th7

— Purdue On BTN (@PurdueOnBTN) March 13, 2014

INSTANT HIGHLIGHT: A.J. Hammons throws down two-handed dunk for @BoilerBall. WATCH – http://t.co/GMU5gb1cgC

— Purdue On BTN (@PurdueOnBTN) March 13, 2014