The Arizona Wildcats secured a 79-64 victory in a thrilling Elite 8 matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday.
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Much like several of the other Elite 8 matchups so far, the first half was a back-and-forth affair of scoring runs. The Wildcats built a six-point advantage before Purdue responded with a scoring run to retake the lead.
After a number of lead changes, the Boilermakers built a 38-31 advantage at halftime.
The momentum completely shifted early in the second half, however. The Wildcats came out swinging on both ends of the floor with a 20-5 scoring run to take full control of the matchup.
With five minutes left to play, Arizona’s lead had ballooned to 13. While Purdue made a valiant attempt at a comeback, Arizona held on for the victory.
Koa Peat led the way for the Wildcats with 20 points and 7 rebounds on 9-of-18 shooting.
For Purdue, Oscar Cluff finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks while Braden Smith put up 13 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
Jmes Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
