Purdue wins despite big Iowa St. rally

milwaukee» Caleb Swanigan had 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, and Purdue reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in seven years with a wild 80-76 victory over Iowa State on Saturday night.

The Cyclones erased a 19point deficit in the second half, taking their first lead of the game on Deonte Burton’s two free throws with 3:11 left. But P.J. Thompson responded with a critical 3-pointer for the Boilermakers, and Swanigan made several huge plays in the final minutes.

After Dakota Mathias missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 11 seconds left and Purdue clinging to a 78-76 lead, Swanigan tracked down the rebound to set up Thompson’s free throws with 7 seconds remaining. Monte Morris missed a 3 on the other end, and time ran out.

Vince Edwards had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Purdue (27-7). Isaac Haas finished with 14 points, helping the Boilermakers to a 23-5 advantage in bench points.

Iowa State (24-11) had won 10 of 11, moving to the brink of its third appearance in the Sweet 16 in four years.

Burton scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half, putting on a show in his hometown of Milwaukee. Matt Thomas, another Wisconsin native, had 20 points on 9-for11 shooting, and Morris finished with 18 points and nine assists in the final game of his standout career.

For a while, it looked as if Iowa State’s storied senior class was headed for a rough ending, trailing 58-39 with 14:23 left.

But the Cyclones responded with a furious comeback. Thomas capped a 14-2 run with a layup that trimmed Purdue’s lead to 63-60 with 8:02 left. Two free throws by Burton and a jumper by Thomas tied it at 71 with 3:45 remaining.