Wisconsin 97 Purdue 93
Wisconsin spoils Purdue’s Senior Day with 18 threes
Purdue jumped out to an early 22-13 lead, but Wisconsin roared back with a barrage of threes, going 12 for 22 from three in the first half. Purdue shot well from long range themselves, going 7 for 13 from three, but trailed 52-47 at halftime.
In the second half, it was a game of runs. Wisconsin increased their lead to 10 points, but Purdue stormed back with a 13-2 run in 2 and a half minutes. Wisconsin then responded with an 8-0 run themselves to go back back up 7 with 13 minutes left. Purdue answered with another 11-3 run to take a 73-72 lead with 10 minutes left. In the end, Wisconsin continued to shoot threes, hitting 18 for the game.
Purdue’s won the rebounding battle, but their inability to finish strong offensively and defensively in the closing minutes was the key difference in the game. Wisconsin made their final 3 field goals and Purdue missed their final six shots.
Key Stats
Wisconsin shot a whopping 18 three point field goals on 34 attempts.
Wisconsin capitalized at the free-throw line, making 21 of 24 free throws.
Purdue had 34 points in the paint and 34 total rebounds.
Key Individual Performances
Purdue’s Braden Smith 20 points and 9 assists
Purdue guard, Fletcher Loyer made 6 three-pointers and became Purdue’s all-time 3-point shooter, surpassing Carsen Edwards.
Wisconsin guard, John Blackwell 25 points including 5 three-pointers
Wisconsin forward, Aleksas Bieliauskas, filling in for injured Nolan Winter, scored 16 points including 4 for 5 on 3-pointers.
What it means
Wisconsin gained a big road Quad 1 win and sits along the 5-6 seed line in the NCAA tournament.
Purdue loses their last chance for a triple-bye in the tournament and will finish 6th or 7th in the conference. Their resume still puts them at the 3-seed line for the NCAA tournament.
Quotes
Purdue head coach Matt Painter, “We’re not giving into this “expletive”. This team isn’t going to quit fighting. Our ultimate goal still hasn’t changed.”
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