Slow start leads to Purdue loss

Comeback attempt fails in final seconds

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gene Keady was "shocked" with his team’s play in the first half. Dan Monson was "proud" that his team’s play in the second half was good enough to win.

"Our shot selection, that’s what shocked me the most," Keady said after watching Purdue drop a 70-67 decision to Minnesota on Wednesday night.

"It was horrible, rat ball. I didn’t even know who that team was," he said. "The bench got the team back into it. If we can do it in one half, why can’t we do it for two?"

Purdue’s 18 first-half points came within five points of the school low of 13, set in 1982 at Williams Arena against the eventual Big Ten champion Gophers.

"It was the shot selection — I don’t know where it was coming from," said Keady, whose club shot a paltry 19 percent in the first half. "But we got it straightened out in the second half."

Last Saturday, Minnesota trailed at Ohio State by 23 points before rallying in the second half, only to lose 75-72.

"This game was once again a good example of a few of our games this year," said Minnesota’s Dusty Rychart, who led all scorers with 23 points. "We play one good half and then struggle to stay at that level."

Minnesota (14-3, 2-2 Big Ten) held Purdue without a basket for more than four minutes late in the game to thwart the Boilermakers’ second-half comeback attempt.

Purdue (11-5, 3-2) fought back from its 17-point first-half deficit to pull within three at 56-53 with five minutes remaining on a three-point play and a pair of free throws by Joe Marshall.

After baskets by John Allison and Marshall, Kenneth Lowe hit a jumper with 20 seconds remaining to make it 66-64. But Rychart then sank two free throws for a 68-64 cushion.

Rodney Smith drilled a 3-point shot with 11 seconds left to cut the lead to 68-67, but Kevin Burleson hit two free throws one second later to push the Gophers’ lead back to three points.

Marshall’s 3-point attempt at the end of the game bounced off the rim and Terrance Simmons grabbed the rebound to preserve the victory for Minnesota.

After a scoreless first half, Marshall scored 10 points in the final seven minutes to lead all Purdue scorers with 13 points.

Purdue, second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, hit only seven of 36 shots in the first half and Minnesota made four of eight 3-point shots in building its 35-18 halftime lead.

"That’s as uncomfortable as I’ve felt with a 17-point lead in my career," Monson said. "We’ve had leads, but not on a team of that caliber. You know they’re going to come back. They have one of the best coaches in America."

• Purdue returns home for a game with Northwestern (7-10, 0-5), which lost 63-49 to Illinois Wednesday night, Saturday in Mackey Arena. Tip-off has been changed to 5 p.m.

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