University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Drops Heartbreaker to #3 Purdue, 59-58
2/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
For the second time this season, Minnesota came oh-so-close to beating a Top 5 team at Williams Arena before losing by a single point, as third-ranked Purdue escaped with a 59-58 victory Wednesday night.
Earlier this season, then fifth-ranked Michigan State rallied from a 13-point second half deficit to defeat the Gophers, 65-64. A win would have been Minnesota's first versus a Top 5 team since the 1991-92 season.
Minnesota (16-11, 7-8 Big Ten), which led 44-35 with 9:13 left in the game, did everything it could to withstand a furious Purdue rally in the closing minutes, but the talented Boilermakers (24-3, 12-3) had just enough to pull out the win.
The Gophers held a 56-52 lead with 1:46 left after a three-point play by senior forward Damian Johnson, but Purdue's Keaton Grant hit a high-arching three-pointer with 1:20 left to cut it to 56-55. The Boilermakers then took a 57-56 advantage with 0:40 left on a layup by E'Twaun Moore, but senior guard Lawrence Westbrook's jumper with 0:25 left put Minnesota back in front, 58-57. Then, with 0:08 remaining, Grant made a clutch jumper, putting Purdue in front, 59-58.
After Minnesota called a timeout with 0:04.2 on the clock, sophomore guard Devoe Joseph wound up with the ball in his hands on the inbounds play. Joseph dribbled toward the corner in front of the Gophers' bench, avoided a Purdue defender, and launched a wide-open jumper, which fell just short, bouncing off the rim as the buzzer sounded. Damian Johnson grabbed the rebound and made the put-back attempt, but not until after the clock had already expired.
Sophomore forward Ralph Sampson III had a career night for the Gophers, finishing with 21 points and seven rebounds. Sampson scored 10 straight points early in the second half to help Minnesota turn a 30-23 deficit at the break into a 36-30 lead with 14:44 remaining. Sampson made 7-of-11 field goals, and 6-of-7 free throws, and scored 13 of his 21 points after the break.
In the first half, Minnesota trailed by as many as 14 points, 26-12, with 7:41 left. But the Gophers closed the half on an 11-4 run to cut it to a seven-point game at intermission. Purdue was held scoreless over the final 4:48 of the opening half, and the first 5:30 of the second half, as the Gophers outscored the Boilermakers 19-0 during that span.
Johnson was the only other Minnesota player to reach double figures, as he finished with 12 points to go along with four rebounds, while Joseph added nine points and four assists.
Purdue was led by JuJuan Johnson's 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Robbie Hummel and E'Twaun Moore each had 11 points, and Grant finished with 10. Hummel left the game in the first half after suffering an injury to his right knee.
Minnesota now hits the road for a Saturday afternoon matchup with Illinois. The game versus the Illini is set for 3:00 p.m. (Central), and it will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
