The No. 10 Purdue Boilermakers escaped with a 60-57 victory over the visiting No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers.
Purdue led much of the way, including down the stretch in the second half, in what was a very tight game.
Turnovers and missed shots cost them down the stretch, and they found themselves trailing by 1 with half a minute to play.
That’s when E’Twaun Moore took over one more time, yet again driving into the lane and knocking down a short jumper.
The Boilermakers played their trademark defense on the next Badgers possession, locking down Trevon Hughes on two straights shots before coming up with the rebound to seal the win.
Friday, January 29, 2010 at 5:55 pm by steve
Another shake-up to the starting lineup didn’t help keep the Purdue Boilermakers out of trouble Thursday night against the visiting Wisconsin Badgers. But the three veterans who were removed from the starting lineup all played a significant role in the team’s 60-57 win.
Upperclassmen JaJuan Johnson, Chris Kramer, and Keaton Grant were all benched prior to the game as head coach Matt Painter continues to try to find a rotation that satisfies him. But all three were instrumental in the victory. All three were on the floor in crunch time and Johnson snatched a rebound and made two free throws with under two seconds remaining to seal the victory. He finished with 14 points.
Still, the Boilermakers teetered on the edge of doom after blowing a lead late, thanks in large part to the Badgers’ Keaton Nankivil, who scored a career-high 25 points on the strength of seven 3-pointers. Wisconsin rallied from a 7-point deficit in the final minutes to take the lead on Nankivil’s last 3 of the night, but E’Twaun Moore answered with a short runner to give Purdue a one-point lead. Wisconsin star guard Trevon Hughes ran the clock down to the final seconds before putting up a forced and contested shot that never had a chance.
Purdue had seemed unbeatable at home until Oho State came to town last week and left with a victory. After the Badgers almost escaped with a victory here too, Painter might have to make more tweaks to his rotation.
at 1:54 pm by Raj Sethi
The No. 15 Purdue Boilermakers overcame a sluggish first half for an 84-78 victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Trailing by four at halftime, Purdue picked it up in the second half to gain a tough road victory in a hostile environment.
Purdue struggled from behind the three-point line, making just three of their 16 attempts.
It was a big night for guard JaJuan Johnson, who led the Boilermakers with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Robbie Hummel led the team with five assists, and was his usual tenacious self on the defensive end.
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 6:33 pm by steve
