CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Purdue basketball isn’t sharing the Big Ten championship with anyone.
Thanks to timely shooting from Braden Smith and a gutsy performance down the stretch from Fletcher Loyer, the third-ranked Boilermakers closed the door on No. 12 Illinois 77-71 at the State Farm Center to claim the league title outright.
To do so, the Boilermakers (27-3, 16-3) needed a second half comeback.
Illinois built a 10-point lead with 5:18 to go in the first half, getting a boost from fifth-year senior transfer Marcus Domask and sixth-year senior transfer Quincy Guerrier. Guerrier was 3-for-4 from 3 in the first half and combined with Domask for 18 points to give the Illini a 40-34 halftime lead.
Purdue’s response came in the second half and, not surprisingly, was orchestrated by Zach Edey’s dominance inside.
After Purdue captured its first lead on a Mason Gillis 3 with 10:11 to go, it became a back-and-forth battle you’d expect from the Big Ten’s best two teams.
It was over when
Terrence Shannon’s two free throws with 3:26 to go gave the Illini a 66-64 lead.
Loyer then responded with seven straight points.
Illinois trailed 74-71 and needed one stop to have a chance to force overtime. Instead, Smith missed a jumper, but the rebound was tipped back out to Purdue’s point guard. Smith sank a shot-clock beating 3 with 18.5 seconds left.
Zach Edey watch
The frontrunner for all of college basketball’s national player of the year awards got off to a slow start before becoming the only consistent offense the Boilermakers had in the first half. Edey made 7 of his final 8 shots in the first half and scored 18 of his 28 points by halftime.
3 stars
Fletcher Loyer, Purdue: His 7-0 run was the difference. The sophomore guard finished with 16 points on 6 of 12 shooting.
Braden Smith, Purdue: Smith now owns Purdue’s single-season assist record after racking up 6. The Cousy Award finalist also had 13 points and beat the shot clock twice with 3s while draped by a defender.
Marcus Domask, Illinois: Domask put on a clinic against Purdue’s defense in the first half. With Purdue up six, it was Domask who helped provide the Illini surge. Domask finished with 20 points.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
