Live Game Thread & Updates for Purdue vs. UCLA in Big Ten Tournament Semifinals

CHICAGO — We have a unique matchup on hand for the second semifinal game of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday. No. 7 seed Purdue takes on No. 6 seed UCLA for a trip to the Championship Game on Sunday afternoon.

The Boilers got to this point with wins over No. 15 Northwestern and No. 2 Nebraska. UCLA picked up victories over No. 14 Rutgers and No. 3 Michigan State to advance to the semifinal round.

UCLA won the regular-season meeting 69-67 at Pauley Pavilion. How will Saturday's semifinal clash turn out? Follow along with Purdue Boilermakers On SI for live coverage from the United Center in Chicago. You can refresh this page frequently for the latest updates.

#7 Purdue vs. #6 UCLA live game blog

Purdue Boilermakers guard C.J. Cox (0) is defended by UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0). | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

2nd half

FINAL — Purdue 73, UCLA 66. Purdue is headed to the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. Oscar Cluff was sensational for the Boilermakers today, finishing the game with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Fletcher Loyer had 14,Trey Kaufman-Renn had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Braden Smit dished out another nine assists.

Purdue will play Michigan in the Championship Game on Sunday.

43.5 — Braden Smith missed a three-pointer, but Oscar Cluff drew a foul while boxing out. The center knocks down both to give the Boilermakers a 70-64 lead. The senior center has made some clutch plays today.

2:40 — Huge sequence for Purdue, as Oscar Cluff gets a tip-in off an offensive rebound. Then the Boilers force a turnover and Fletcher Loyer gets the ball to C.J. Cox for an open layup. Purdue has broken the tie and has a four-point lead. The Boilers need another stop on the defensive end and follow it up with a good offensive possession.

4:30 — UCLA has put together a 10-2 run and has tied this baskebtall game up at 60-60. Purdue had been in control most of the day, but this one is coming down to the wire.

6:43 — That goaltending reversal turned out to be significant. UCLA has gotten four straight points and Purdue has turned the basketball over twice. The score is now 58-54. UCLA has life. Excellent defensive play by Skyy Clark to get a steal and pull the Bruins within four.

7:53 — UCLA challenged the goaltending call and won. The score is now 58-50 in favor of Purdue and the Bruins will get the basketball. Could be a significant moment.

7:53 — We've reached the under-eight media timeout and Purdue still leads UCLA by 10 at 60-50. Gicarri Harris and Oscar Cluff both got buckets to help the Boilers extend the lead back out to double digits.

You have to give a lot of credit to Purdue's bench, which has been incredibly productive this afternoon. The Boilers have 20 points from the bench today. Jack Benter has eight points and six rebounds.

9:03 — Purdue leads this game 55-48, but the Bruins are refusing to be put away. This has been a really gutsy performance from UCLA.

11:00 — Second media timeout and Purdue leads 53-43. The Boilers just had their best sequence of the game. Gicarri Harris and Fletcher Loyer combine for a steal, Loyer then delivers a beautiful pass to Daniel Jacobsen for a dunk, then Jacobsen records a block at the other end. The Boilers are getting some great minutes from its bench today.

12:20 — UCLA will not go away quietly. Undermanned, they've got a double-digit Purdue lead down to just six points. The Bruins have been scrappy all afternoon long.

14:49 — First media timeout of the second half and Purdue leads UCLA 48-36. Braden Smith gets his first points of the game with a three-pointer. The Boilers offense has picked up to start the second half, hitting 5-of-8 and 3-of-5 from long range. With another solid four-minute stretch, the Boilermakers could potentially get this one out of reach. UCLA doesn't have a lot of firepower without Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau on the floor.

16:27 — UCLA won't go away, but Purdue is really asserting itself on the glass. After a missed C.J. Cox three, Oscar Cluff battled for a rebound, then got a bucket and an and-one opportunity. He made the free throw to put the Boilers ahead 45-34.

19:14 — Immediately out of the locker room, Purdue gets Fletcher Loyer an open look at three and he buries. Then after a UCLA miss, the senior knocks down another. Purdue's lead is out to 13 in no time.

1st half

HALF — It wasn't a pretty offensive performance from Purdue, shooting below 40% from the floor. The Boilermakers also had five turnovers. They had a clear advantage on the glass, though, winning the rebound battle 21-13.

HALF — Purdue 34, UCLA 27. The Boilermakers closed out the half with a three from Jack "Big Shot" Benter at the buzzer. Braden Smith gets the assist. Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn each scored eight points to lead the way for Purdue in that half. Smith has seven assists.

What was interesting is that Smith, Kaufman-Renn and Loyer sat for significant minutes in the first half, yet Purdue still has a seven-point advantage. UCLA not having Tyler Bilodeau and Donovan Dent for a period on the first half proved costly.

1:28 — Jack Benter had been in a bit of a shooting slump, but knocked down a corner triple. Purdue's lead is now 31-24 as we approach halftime. A big shot for Benter for his confidence.

2:47 — A good defensive play by Gicarri Harris to get a potential steal. During the chase, it was knocked out of bounds. It was initially ruled Purdue ball, but officials overruled it following a UCLA challenge. Still a big defensive play from the sophomore guard.

3:55 — After that ugly possession, Purdue gets a defensive stop then Omer Mayer knocks down a three. The lead is back up to nine points at 26-17. It's been an ugly offensive half, but the Boilers have been able to build a decent lead. Closing the half strong is going to be key. Credit to C.J. Cox, who saved a possession by chasing down an errant pass.

4:30 — Major missed opportunity for Purdue on that last possession. Fletcher Loyer missed both free throw attempts, then Oscar Cluff got an offensive rebound but missed the putback. Omer Mayer got a third attempt and missed that one as well. Boilers are ice-cold right now.

6:10 — UCLA's Donovan Dent appeared to go down the tunnel and was followed by a team doctor. It's a big development, especially with Tyler Bilodeau already out for the game.

6:10 — Third media timeout and Purdue has a narrow 19-17 lead. There's some deja vu happening for the Boilermakers right now. In the first meeting against UCLA in January, Purdue had a 12-point first half lead that the Bruins completely erased by halftime. Today, the Boilers led by 13 points only to see UCLA make a run to wipe away that advantage.

Both teams are shooting just 33.3% from the floor. Purdue with four turnovers.

9:46 — Both teams are struggling to shoot the basketball right now. Both teams look like their on their third game in three days.

11:25 — Second media timeout and Purdue leads 15-9. After jumping out to a 15-2 advantage, UCLA has put together a 7-0 run of its own. Boilers have now missed their last eight shot attempts from the floor. No one player in particular is thriving for the Bruins, but Purdue is just struggling to hit shots.

14:05 — First media timeout and Purdue leads 15-7. Purdue could not have gotten off to a better start. The Boilers are 3-of-5 from three-point range, have already shot four free throws. Fletcher Loyer is off to a hot start, scoring eight early points for the Boilermakers. Without Tyler Bilodeau, Purdue should be able to get into the painted area and get some open opportunities around the perimeter.

16:17 — After another UCLA turnover, Mick Cronin picks up a technical foul and Fletcher Loyer knocks down a pair of free throws. Then, he knocks down a three-pointer. Purdue is out to a 15-2 lead before the first media timeout.

18:18 — Excellent ball movement to start the game. Boilers moved the ball around the perimeter to get Fletcher Loyer a wide-open triple. The Boilers have an early 5-2 advantage on UCLA.

Starting lineups

Purdue — #0 C.J. Cox (G), #2 Fletcher Loyer (G), #3 Braden Smith (G), #4 Trey Kaufman-Renn (F), #45 Oscar Cluff (C).
UCLA — #2 Donovan Dent (G), #3 Eric Dailey Jr. (G), #1 Xavier Booker (F), #0 Trent Perry (G), #55 Skyy Clark (G).

Pregame

#1 Michigan defeated #5 Wisconsin in a 68-65 thriller in the first game of the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines will play the winner of the Purdue-UCLA game in the championship tomorrow.

Even though Tyler Bilodeau was listed as "questionable" on the Big Ten's availability report, head coach Mick Cronin told Andy Katz of NCAA.com that UCLA's big man will not play for UCLA on Saturday. That's a significant development for this afternoon's semifinal game.

Availability report

UCLA — OUT: Evan Manjikian QUESTIONABLE: Tyler Bilodeau
Purdue — OUT: None. QUESTIONABLE: None.

Tipoff between Purdue and UCLA is set for 25 minutes after the conclusion of the Wisconsin-Michigan semifinal game (approximately 3:30 p.m. ET). The game will air on CBS.

What's at stake

Obviously, the biggest prize will be a trip to the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game on Sunday afternoon. Purdue would be chasing its third tournament title in program history, while UCLA would be competing to win its first since joining the league.

For Purdue, a win would solidify it as a No. 3 seed for the NCAA Tournament, if it hasn't already locked it up. The Boilermakers are potentially still in the hunt to play the first two rounds in St. Louis, which would give them a home-court advantage to start March Madness.

UCLA is hovering around the No. 7 seed line and would likely firm up that position for the NCAA Tournament. It would keep the Bruins from playing a No. 1 seed, should they reach the second round.

So, there's plenty at stake during Saturday's semifinal round.

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