No. 13 Purdue Routs Illinois, Will Face Michigan In Big Ten Semifinal
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Purdue reserve center Isaac Haas scored 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting and the No. 13 Boilermakers crushed Illinois 89-58 Friday in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
Vince Edwards added 14 points, Caleb Swanigan had 11 points and 12 rebounds and Dakota Mathias added 11 for Purdue (25-7), which shot 58.3 percent.
The Boilermakers made 24 of their first 36 shots, including 8 of 14 from 3-point range, taking a 60-27 lead on P.J. Thompson's 3-pointer with 15:59 left. Consecutive 3-pointers from Edwards pushed the Boilermakers' lead to 66-30 with 12:13 to play.
Illinois (15-19) got 17 points from Maverick Morgan, 16 from Malcolm Hill and 13 from Kendrick Nunn.
Purdue is trying to win its first Big Ten Tournament title since 2009, the only time the Boilermakers won the event.
Purdue made 18 of 29 shots (62.1 percent) in the first half, including a combined 10 of 10 from Hammons and Haas, en route to a 45-25 lead.
The Boilermakers outrebounded the Illini 20-11 in the opening 20 minutes and limited Illinois to 1-of-8 shooting from 3-point range.
Hammons and Haas each scored 10 first-half points, and Davis added nine points and four assists.
Illinois she 38.5 percent in the first half, getting 12 points from Hill, who scored 30 in January when the Illini hosted the Boilermakers and won 84-70.
TIP-INS:
Illinois: The Illini advanced to the quarterfinals with victories against Minnesota and Iowa, making a combined 24 3-pointers ... Illinois' 27 victories in Big Ten Tournament competition are second-most in the league ... The Illini won this tournament in 2003 and 2005.
Purdue: The Boilermakers, along with Michigan State and Maryland, are the only teams to receive double byes in the new 14-team Big Ten Tournament since Maryland and Rutgers joined in 2015 ... Including Friday's victory, Purdue will take a four-game winning streak into Saturday's semifinals ... Before facing Illinois, Purdue's reserves had outscored the opponent's bench in 29 of the first 31 games.
UP NEXT:
Purdue: Plays Michigan in semifinal on Saturday.
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