'Really cool moment for us' No. 5 Purdue closes out regular season after holding off Illinois
WEST LAFAYETTE – One week after clinching at least a share of the Big Ten title, and four days following claiming the outright championship, Purdue finally had its confetti moment.
The Boilermakers were also able to hoist the trophy, and wear hats and t-shirts recognizing their accomplishment of winning the program’s 25th Big Ten title.
But reaching the moment of celebration didn’t come easy.
No. 5 Purdue made it hard on itself in the second half, finally holding off Illinois 76-71 to end the regular season and head into the Big Ten tournament on a two-game winning streak.
Purdue-Illinois stats | Stat Blast | Final Thoughts
“Really cool moment for us,” said junior Ethan Morton, who collected four steals – all in the second half. “We wanted to send the seniors out with a win.”
The Boilermakers have waited a week to put the finishing touches on the title, scoreboard-watching and seeing the right scenarios play out in order to finally claim the championship.
“It’s been weird honestly as we came down the stretch,” Morton said. “We had a pretty decent lead in the standings, and it’s been on our minds as we’ve been in a little bit of a rut.
“It was nice after clinching it Thursday to come here and give the home crowd one last win.”
Purdue won the regular-season title by three games in a season where more than half the league changed positions in the standings on a daily basis. The Boilermakers were near the top of the league from the beginning, putting together a nine-game winning streak to take control.
“It’s great to win a Big Ten championship but to win it by three games with the competition in this league,” coach Matt Painter said. “When you play 20 games, it’s a real grind.
“Just proud of our guys to be able to hang in there. We went 7-3 on the road, but when you win your first six road games and when you lose three straight, you don’t look at it that way. You look at like California is going off in the ocean.”
HOLDING ON LATE
The first 22 minutes were the perfect sendoff into the postseason for Purdue as it was dominating Illinois, which showed little fight in the first half.
However, the final 18 minutes became a struggle to hang on, but the Boilermakers did, thanks to solid defense and free throw shooting down the stretch.
Purdue converted 7 of 8 free throws in the final 30.5 seconds to hold off the Illini, who trailed by as many as 24 points. Illinois was able to convert the Boilermakers’ turnovers into transition points and the momentum flipped.
The big lead was erased when Matthew Mayer hit 1 of 2 free throws with 1:17 to play to tie the score at 67.
Zach Edey gave the Boilermakers a 69-67 lead with 57.2 seconds on the clock. Edey finished with 17 points, including nine after halftime as Purdue struggled to score.
Brandon Newman and Braden Smith combined for 29 points in the first half as the Boilermakers used a 21-5 run going into halftime. Newman finished with 19 points and Smith added 15.
“I thought Newman was terrific today,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said.
Terrance Shannon Jr. and Mayer combined for 22 of their 29 points in the second half to bring the Illini back.
“They’re a tough matchup for us,” Painter said. “They’ve been a team of runs. When they get it going, there’s nobody better in the country.”
Six of Purdue’s last 12 games have been decided by eight points or less.
“We’ve been in situations like that,” Newman said. “We’ve had a few go our way, and we’ve had a few not go our way. It’s March, and it’s a beautiful time of the year and there’s going to be a lot of close games, a lot of back and forth.”
MORTON, NEWMAN COLLECT SEVEN STEALS
It was pointed out to Newman and Morton that the pair combined for seven steals Sunday. Newman started clapping in recognition of the accomplishment.
You could see the pride on Newman’s face about the difference he made on the defensive end. He made two steals in the first minute and kept creating havoc on the perimeter.
Newman and Morton were matched up against Shannon.
“I was excited to play against him and excited to match up against him,” Newman said. “I know they had some good pieces, too. And this is our first time playing them. Ethan and I take pride in guarding the best players on the other teams, whether it’s Illinois or any other team in the Big Ten.”
Morton made a handful of crucial plays late in the second half. He kept Shannon from scoring with the Boilermakers up two with 31 seconds on the clock. Underwood thought Morton fouled Shannon.
“I saw his hand just fly back,” Underwood said. “I thought the Morton kid fouled him, but you’re not going to get those calls on the road.”
The play before, Morton nearly had another steal but the ball – and his body – landed on the line before the junior could call a timeout. The Illini had seven seconds on the shot clock.
“Brandon did a great job of not letting him get a straight line drive – he pushed him off that seam a little bit and gave me enough room to get a swipe and still get back,” Morton said. “It was great team defense.”
The 11 steals are the second time the Boilermakers reached double digits in that category and the most since the first game of the season. The combination of Morton and Newman has given the Boilermakers a defensive lift.
“Coming into this year, we could be really special defensively us two together,” Morton said. “That ties us together as a team. He’s been a great spark for us the last two games – I’ve been pretty below average – but I was able to get a few steals tonight.”
