Red Raiders among Elite 8’ers for 1st time in program history

EAST SEMIFINAL: TEXAS TECH 78, PURDUE 65

BOSTON» Texas Tech is headed to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.

Keenan Evans had 16 points and the third-seeded Red Raiders overcame an early first-half hole and dominated second-seeded Purdue down the stretch to earn a 78-65 victory in the Sweet 16 on Friday night.

Texas Tech will play top seed Villanova in the East regional final Sunday.

Zach Smith added 14 points and five rebounds.

Texas Tech trailed by as many as seven points in the first half. But it closed the half on a 10-0 run to take a 30-25 halftime advantage.

Purdue got it down to one early in the second half, but the Red Raiders never surrendered the lead.

Carsen Edwards led Purdue with 30 points, including four 3-pointers.

The Boilermakers (30-7) were playing in their second straight regional semifinal. They were denied what would have been their first Elite Eight berth since 2000.

Purdue came in ranked second nationally in 3point percentage and connected on 7-of-18 for the game. But the Boilermakers allowed the Red Raiders 17 second-chance points.

Texas Tech (27-9) also got 33 points from its bench, compared with just six for Purdue.