William Buford scored 19 points to lead a balanced attack as top-ranked Ohio State took command of the Big Ten Conference race with a convincing 87-64 rout of No. 12 Purdue on Tuesday night in Columbus, Ohio.

The Buckeyes (21-0, 8-0 Big Ten) dominated from the opening tip, storming out to a 19-5 lead in the first 7:27 of play. Ohio State continued to pile on, pulling ahead by as many as 22 points before coasting into the intermission with a 46-26 cushion.

Purdue briefly got as close as 17 early in the second half before the Buckeyes ran off nine straight points to make it 59-33 with 15:49 to go. Buford hit consecutive 3-pointers to cap the spurt.

Six players scored in double figures for Ohio State, which now holds a two-game lead in the conference standings. Jared Sullinger finished with 17 points while Jon Diebler and Deshaun Thomas added 13 points apiece. The Buckeyes shot 55 percent (32-of-58) overall and hit 11-of-19 3-pointers.

JaJuan Johnson finished with 22 points to lead the Boilermakers (17-4, 6-2).