NCAA Tournament 2017, Purdue vs Iowa State: Highlights, score and recap

Highlights from Saturday’s Midwest Region Second Round matchup between the Iowa State Cyclones and Purdue Boilermakers from Milwaukee.

The Purdue Boilermakers held off a wild comeback attempt by the Iowa State Cyclones with a 80-76 victory in Saturday’s Midwest Region Second Round matchup.

Saturday’s game figured to be an interesting clash between Iowa State’s explosive perimeter offense and Purdue’s terrific balance. The Boilermakers got the upper hand early, building a quick 21-15 lead that it would continue to build on throughout the first half.

Purdue’s offense could not be slowed down early in the half, as the Boilermakers took a 44-31 advantage into the break on back-to-back threes by Dakota Mathias in the last 40 seconds. The frontcourt of Caleb Swanigan, Vincent Edwards, and Isaac Haas took advantage of Iowa State’s lack of size, with Swanigan even dishing out six assists.

Matt Thomas kept the Cyclones from getting run off the court with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the first half. However, Iowa State needed a huge game from the perimeter to have a chance, and started off just 3-of-14 from beyond the arc.

Swanigan could not be stopped in the first five minutes after the break and scored seven straight points to push Purdue’s lead to 56-39. The game was far from over due to Iowa State’s ability to score quickly, and Monte Morris directed a quick spurt to make it a 58-46 at the 11:42 mark.

Iowa State suddenly couldn’t miss from the perimeter, and Morris buried a three to make it a seven-point game with under 10 minutes left. The Cyclones pushed the run to 12-0 and were down only three thanks to a monster Deonte Burton slam just moments later, setting up a thrilling finish.

Swanigan and Burton continued to duel, with Iowa State getting to within 68-67 as the clock ticked under five minutes. Burton hit a pair of free throws at the 3:11 mark to put Iowa State up 73-71, the first lead of the game for the Cyclones.

P.J. Thompson responded with a huge three for Purdue on the next possession, and Swanigian added another bucket following a rare defensive stop. The Cyclones turned the ball over on two straight trips down the floor, but still manged to trail by just three with 54 second to go an another layup by Burton.

After Mathias missed the front end of a one-and-one up a bucket with 12 seconds left, Swanigan grabbed a crucial offensive rebound. Thompson nailed the subsequent free throws, sealing a wild 80-76 victory for the Boilermakers.

The battle between Swanigan and Burton over the final 10 minutes stands out as perhaps the most entertaining moment of the opening weekend so far. While Purdue was held under its normal efficiency at the 3-point line, it shot just shy of 50 percent from the field and crushed Iowa State on the glass.

Highlights

https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/843297611419467776

RELATED: Updated 2017 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Three Stars

3. Vincent Edwards, F, Purdue. Built Purdue’s original lead with huge first half and piled up 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting.

2. Deonte Burton, F, Iowa State. Keyed Iowa State’s comeback attempt in the second half, finishing with 25 points to lead all scorers.

1. Caleb Swanigan, F, Purdue. Defended his reputation as the most dominant offensive player in the nation with 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, out-dueling Burton down the stretch.

Up Next

The Boilermakers will move on the the Midwest Region Sweet 16, where they will either face top-seeded Kansas or Tom Izzo and Michigan State.