The 2-seed Purdue Boilermakers outlasted the 7-seed Miami Hurricanes 79-69 on Sunday in a tightly contested 2nd-round matchup.
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Sunday’s game was a gritty, physical game that was close from start to finish. The Hurricanes’ were putting up more shots than the Boilermakers, but Purdue had a huge advantage in free throws as well as three-point shooting.
By halftime, Miami held a two-point lead.
The second half was a gradual rise for the Boilermakers, who opened the half with strong defense and smooth offense. While Purdue seemed to be getting points in every possible manner, Miami struggled to keep up.
With just over five minutes to play, Purdue’s lead had grown to 11. While the Hurricanes fought hard and momentarily cut the lead to six, they failed to make it a one-possesion game.
The Boilermakers were led by Fletcher Loyer, who finished with 24 points while shooting 6-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-4 from three. Trey Kaufman-Renn also had a strong night with 19 points and nine rebounds.
For Miami, Shelton Henderson had 18 points and eight rebounds on 9-of-11 shooting while Malik Reneau finished with 16 points, five rebounds and four steals.
Purdue will now face the Texas Longhorns in the Elite 8 on Thursday.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
