This post is part of The Arena Pulse's Player of the Night feature.
Each morning throughout the 2011-12 season, The Arena Pulse will select and name its "Player of the Night" from the previous evening's action.
Ohio State found themselves in a dogfight on Tuesday night with visiting Purdue in town looking for a huge, resume-boosting victory.
With one of the nation's longest home winning streaks in jeopardy, Buckeyes' head coach Thad Matta needed someone to step up.
It came as no surprise when their senior leader took over down the stretch.
The winner of The Arena Pulse's Player of the Night (2/7):
Name: William Buford
School: Ohio State
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
Stat Line: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
While a date with Michigan State looms this weekend, the Buckeyes got all they could handle from Purdue on Tuesday evening.
D.J. Byrd (24 points) went off, Kelsey Barlow had the play of the night, and Robbie Hummel had another solid evening (13 points, 8 rebounds). The Boilermakers were not only competing with Ohio State, they actually held control at various points in the contest.
The Big Ten is a battle every night, and its reasons like this one that make Buckeye fans happy they have a player named William Buford.
Buford's work ethic and overall ability tends to go under appreciated. In fact, just last night the senior guard moved into 6th place all-time on the Ohio State scoring list.
The Buckeyes were a career-high 29 points and a personal, 7-0 run that broke a tie ball game late in the closing minutes. Fittingly enough, Buford also came up with a loose ball steal with under a minute to play, ending things emphatically on the other end with a dunk.
In addition to his 29 points, Buford was also credited with seven rebounds and two assists, while a number of key baskets and plays helped separate the Buckeyes from Purdue on Tuesday.
Ohio State (21-3, 9-2) will put their 39-game home winning streak on the line yet again this weekend, as Michigan State (18-5, 7-3) rolls into Columbus looking to tighten things even more in the Big Ten.
*Photo: William Buford *Credit: draftexpress.com
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Original Story:
http://www.thearenapulse.com/2012/02/...
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February 07, 2012
