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No. 3-Seed Purdue Will Take on No. 5 Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament Championship

Iowa Knocks Off Purdue 75-66 to Win Big Ten Title

Big Ten Tournament MVP Keegan Murray scored 19 points as No. 5 Iowa beat favorite Purdue 75-66 in the tourney finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Hawkeyes beat in-state teams Indiana and Purdue back-to-back to claim their first title since 2006.
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Two of the best offensive teams in the country tangled in the finals of the Big Ten Tournament, but it was a multitude of defensive stops down the stretch that helped No. 5-seed Iowa claim the title with a 75-66 win over Purdue, the tournament favorite.

Purdue made just 2-of-8 shots in the final three minutes as the Hawkeyes, who have been the hottest team in the league pulled away. Purdue is 24-0 when scoring 70 or more points. When held under 70 points, Purdue is 3-7 now.

Iowa led most of the first half, with its largest lead reaching eight points on several occasions. But Purdue made a nice run late in the period, getting baskets from Jaden Ivey, Zach Edey and Trevion Williams. Ivey hit a three-pointer with 16 seconds left to make it 35-32 at the break. Ivey had 10 first-half points.

Iowa, which came into the game with 40 made three-pointers in its first three games, struggled from distance in the first half, making just 3-of-15 long balls. But they only had one turnover the entire half. 

Purdue took the lead briefly to start the second half, going on an 8-4 run, and it remained a one possession game until the 8:20 mark when Iowa freshman guard Payton Sandfort hit back-to-back three-pointers to put Iowa ahead 57-51.

No one scored for more than two minutes until Williams scored on an offensive rebound, but Indianapolis native Tony Perkins scored again on other end to make it 59-53.

Keegan Murray was fouled at the 4:15 mark, and made both free throws to push the lead to eight at 63-55.

Williams made two free throws, and then the Purdue defense came up big, getting two straight steals from Williams. Ivey scored on a drive and then Eric Hunter Jr. hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to cut the lead to one at 63-62 with 3:09 to go.

Connor McCaffery forced a shot over Williams and scored and was fouled, and he made the free throw too to make it 66-62. On the other end, Ivey turned it over on a bad pass inside to Williams. 

Purdue's Mason Gillis was fouled on an offensive rebound at 1:57, but he missed the front end of the one-and-one. Iowa failed to score, but Sasha Stefanovic missed a three on the other end and was forced to foul. Perkins made both free throws to make it 69-62. 

Purdue made just 1-of-7 shots down the stretch, with Ivey making the final basket when the outcome was no longer in doubt.

This was Purdue's fifth appearance in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. They won in 2009, but have lost the other four times. It was their first final since losing to Michigan in 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Both teams are clearly high seeds in the NCAA Tournament, They will learn their fate soon when the bracket is announced at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday night. 

  • BIG TEN TITLE A MUST FOR BOILERS: A boatload of regular-season wins are nice, but a very talented Purdue team had many goals for this 2022 season, and they haven't accomplished any of them yet. It was a goal to win this Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, and they get the chance in Sunday's final against Iowa. Holding a trophy is a much-needed confidence booster for the Boilers. CLICK HERE
  • ERIC HUNTER JR. HITS BIG SHOTS FOR PURDUE: Purdue was ahead of Michigan State by just one point before Eric Hunter Jr. nailed two 3-pointers, helping the team push its lead back to double-digits. He scored all 11 of his points in the second half of a 75-70 win in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals Saturday. CLICK HERE
  • PURDUE SURGES PAST MICHIGAN STATE: After both teams struggled in the first half, Purdue and Michigan lit up the scoreboard after halftime with a spot in the Big Ten Tournament finals on the line. The Boilermakers, led by Jaden Ivey's 22 points, made enough plays to keep control of the game and walk away with a win. CLICK HERE
  • WHAT MATT PAINTER SAID AFTER THE WIN: Here's what Purdue head coach Matt Painter said after the team's 75-70 win over Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Below is the full transcript from his postgame press conference. CLICK HERE
  • WHAT JADEN IVEY, TREVION WILLIAMS SAID AFTER THE WIN: Here's what Purdue players Jaden Ivey and Trevion Williams said after the team's 75-70 win over Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Below is the full transcript from their postgame press conference. CLICK HERE
  • PURDUE, MICHIGAN STATE PHOTO GALLERY: Look at 30 photos from Purdue's 75-70 win over Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. CLICK HERE
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