March Madness: Purdue 81, Texas 71 - How it happened, what it means, what's next

MILWAUKEE – It's back to the Sweet 16 for Purdue.

On Sunday night, the third-seeded Boilermakers had to withstand a hard-fought battle with No. 6 seed Texas to move to next week's regional semifinals in Philadelphia. Purdue built a double-digit lead late and held on for an 81-71 victory at the Fiserv Forum.

Trevion Williams had 21 points, making 10 of 13 field goals and Jaden Ivey took over in the second half, including a 3-point dagger with 1:01 to play. Ivey finished with 18 points.

"We were going to Trevion a lot in that stretch and just trying to put the ball in his hands just to break people down," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "We were going to slip out of a ball screen because I didn't want to bring that (center) there because they were doubling and corralling his ball screens. We wanted him to turn the corner.

"But when he gets space and people back up and take his drive away, he'll just stop and bury it. He obviously has the freedom to do that. Just a great play. He's had moments like that in his career to where it's like plan B is the best plan sometimes."

Purdue went to the line 46 times compared to 12 for the Longhorns, a situation that didn't sit well with coach Chris Beard.

"The free throw discrepancy was tough," Beard said. "A lot of times on our end we were driving the ball - there's different ways to get fouled in the basketball game. When you get fouled right around the basket, everybody sees it. But I thought there was a lot of fouls out on the floor where the calls didn't go our way. We know that's a big part of Purdue's identity, but again, guys, 46 to 12, that's a little frustrating."

What it means

Purdue advances to the Sweet 16 and will face Saint Peter’s at 7 p.m. on Friday in Philadelphia. The 15th-seeded Peacocks defeated Kentucky and Murray State to reach the regional semifinals.

How it happened

Texas was hot early. Purdue was hot in the middle. The Longhorns closed the gap at the end of the first. The Boilermakers trailed 14-8 before unleashing a string of 20 consecutive points. They pushed the ball inside to Williams, who took advantage of single coverage and made his first six field-goal attempts, including six points during the streak. Edey also contributed during the stretch and Ethan Morton added a 3-pointer as Purdue’s lead grew to 14. While the Boilermakers were on their run, the Longhorns couldn’t make anything. They missed 20 of their first 25 attempts and went 9:45 without a point. But Texas started hitting as Purdue began making mistakes, creating an opening for the Longhorn to cut the deficit under double digits. However, Purdue missed numerous chances to extend its lead by going 13 of 19 from the line, committing seven turnovers and allowing the Longhorns to grab eight offensive rebounds. The Boilermakers had their 36-30 halftime lead without Jaden Ivey attempting a field goal – the sophomore made 3 of 4 from the line. Texas stayed connected by hitting six 3-pointers in the first half, while Purdue made just one.

The second half was a back-and-forth physical battle until the Boilermakers created some separation with a 7-0 run, capped by a sweet bounce pass to Williams from Hunter, forcing the Longhorns to call a timeout with 7:39 left. Another mini-run featuring Williams and Morton stretched the advantage to nine.

3 reasons why Purdue won

Williams. The big man came off the bench and dominated inside.

Free throws: The Boilermakers lived at the line by pounding the ball inside and holding up against the Longhorns' physical defense. Purdue attempted 46 free throws.

Morton: Was big in the second half with his defense and a huge 3-pointer that stretched the lead to 65-56 with 5:35 left.

Mike Carmin covers Purdue sports for the Journal & Courier. Email mcarmin@gannett.com and follow on Twitter and Instagram @carmin_jc

PURDUE 81, TEXAS 71

TEXAS (22-12) - Allen 1-6 0-0 2 (-8), Bishop 5-8 0-0 10 (-2), Jones 6-13 3-4 17 (+1), Carr 8-18 3-5 23 (-4), Ramey 3-11 0-0 7 (-7), Askew 0-0 0-0 0 (-20, Febres 2-6 1-2 7 (-1), Cunningham 1-3 0-0 3 (-3), Disu 1-3 0-1 2 (-6). Totals 27-68 7-12 71.

PURDUE (29-7) - Gillis 1-2 0-0 2 (-7), Edey 2-6 7-12 11 (+5), Hunter Jr. 1-7 8-9 11 (+5), Ivey 4-7 8-9 18 (+5), Stefanovic 0-4 4-5 4 (-2), Williams 10-13 2-4 22 (+5), Furst 1-2 1-1 4 (+11), Thompson 0-0 1-2 1 (+5), Morton 2-2 2-3 8 (+18), Newman 0-0 0-0 0 (+5). Totals 21-43 33-46 81.

Halftime - Purdue 36-30. 3-point goals - Texas 10-28 (Jones 2-7, Carr 4-8, Ramey 1-4, Febres 2-6, Cunningham 1-3), Purdue 6-17 (Gillis 0-1, Hunter Jr. 1-5, Ivey 2-4, Stefanovic 0-4, Furst 1-1, Morton 2-2). Rebounds - Texas 28 (Bishop 7), Purdue 41 (Edey 10, Gillis 7, Williams 7). Fouls - Texas 29 (Allen, Bishop), Purdue 16. Assists - Texas 16 (Carr 7), Purdue 10 (Hunter Jr. 3, Ivey 3). Steals - Texas 5 (Jones 2), Purdue 3 (Hunter Jr., Thompson, Newman). Blocked shots - Texas 3 (Disu 2), Purdue 4 (Morton 2). Turnovers - Texas 7 (Jones 2, Carr 2), Purdue 12 (Williams 4, Ivey 3). Points per possession - Texas 1.060, Purdue 1.246. EFG% - Texas 47.1, Purdue 55.8. Points off turnovers - Texas 16, Purdue 14. Points in the paint - Texas 28, Purdue 28. Second-chance points - Texas 8, Purdue 11. Scoring percentage - Texas 46.3 (31-67), Purdue 58.5 (38-65). Turnover percentage - Texas 10.4, Purdue 18.5. Biggest lead - Texas 6 (1st 15:45), Purdue 14 (1st 6:06). Lead changes - 9. Times tied - 3. Time with the lead - Texas 8:17, Purdue 30:09.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: March Madness: Purdue 81, Texas 71 - How it happened, what it means, what's next