Purdue, West Virginia still dancing
DETROIT — Without Isaac Haas, Purdue played fine for the most part.
Until the last few minutes, when the Boilermakers’ season nearly slipped away.
“We lost our poise there, but then we also regained it,” coach Matt Painter said. “And Dakota Mathias made a huge shot.”
Mathias sank a 3-pointer with 14.2 seconds left, and secondseeded Purdue held off 10thseeded Butler 76-73 on Sunday to reach the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year. Haas, the 7-2 center who broke his elbow in Friday’s win over Cal State Fullerton, did not play, but the Boilermakers prevailed anyway despite a late push by their instate rivals.
Purdue (30-6) led by as many as 10 points in the second half of this all-Indiana matchup, but Butler (21-14) cut the deficit to two and had the ball in the final minute. Kelan Martin missed a 3-pointer, and the Boilermakers settled down.
The shot by Mathias made it 76-71.
“Once it left my hand, it felt pretty good,” Mathias said.
Martin scored with 2.1 seconds remaining, and P.J. Thompson missed the front end of a oneand-one, giving Butler another chance. The Bulldogs called a timeout with 1.8 seconds left, and Kamar Baldwin’s shot from near midcourt hit the rim — although it might have been waved off on a review even if it had gone in.
Vincent Edwards scored 20 points despite early foul trouble for Purdue, and Matt Haarms filled in capably for the injured Haas. The Boilermakers set a school record for victories in a season and are in the regional semifinals for the fourth time under Painter.
Purdue faces third-seeded Texas Tech on Friday night in the East Region semifinals at Boston.
Martin scored 29 points for Butler.
Haas warmed up before the game but wasn’t using his injured arm much, and an official said a few minutes before tipoff that the big man’s brace hadn’t been approved for competition. Haarms, a redshirt freshman, started for the first time this season and missed an easy layup early on.
But the 7-3 Haarms settled in, finishing with seven points and six rebounds. He was on the court at the end, using his huge frame to guard the inbound passer on Butler’s last play.
Haas was ruled out for the rest of the Tournament after his injury Friday, but Saturday, there appeared to be at least some possibility he could come back. He didn’t Sunday, and he was noncommittal afterward about the next couple of weeks.
WEST VIRGINIA 94, MARSHALL 71
Jevon Carter scored 28 points and Lamont West added 18 off the bench as the Mountaineers overwhelmed their in-state rival, beating the Thundering Herd in San Diego.
The Mountain State showdown more than 2,000 miles from home was a one-sided celebration for fifth-seeded West Virginia. Bigger, more physical and making fewer mistakes, the Mountaineers (26-10) took control with a 19-0 first-half run, and Carter’s three 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the second half made sure there wouldn’t be a rally coming from 13th-seeded Marshall.
West Virginia will face topseed Villanova in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Boston.
Ajdin Penava scored 18 points to lead the Thundering Herd (25-11).