No. 3 Ohio State 78, Purdue 69: LaQuinton Ross recorded career highs with 25 points and 12 rebounds as the visiting Buckeyes pulled away from the Boilermakers in the Big Ten opener for both schools.

Shannon Scott contributed 18 points and Lenzelle Smith Jr. added 14 for Ohio State (14-0, 1-0 Big Ten), which led by only one at halftime. Point guard Aaron Craft registered seven points with season highs in assists (10) and rebounds (eight) for the Buckeyes.

A.J. Hammons led the way with 18 points, a career-high 16 rebounds and five blocks for Purdue (10-4, 0-1), which lost for the first time in nine home games. Ronnie Johnson chipped in with 16 points while Terone Johnson had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Boilermakers.

Purdue led by as much as five points in the first half before the Buckeyes edged in front 34-33 at intermission following Smith’s basket in the final seconds. Smith had 10 points while Hammons and Ronnie Johnson each scored nine in the opening 20 minutes for the Boilermakers.

After Hammons’ tip-in evened the score at 46, Ohio State ran off nine of the next 11 points – four by Ross – to take a seven-point lead. The lead grew to as much as 12 before Purdue closed within five with 1:29 left, but Ohio State made 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch to seal it.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Craft has 600 career assists, moving past Deron Williams (594) and Eric Snow (599) into ninth on the Big Ten’s all-time list. … Terone Johnson, a senior guard, became the eighth player in Purdue history with at least 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 250 assists. … Ohio State won for only the second time in six tries when opening its Big Ten slate at Purdue and extended its overall win streak over the Boilermakers to four.