No. 3 Purdue opens Big Ten Tournament with win over MSU
Zach Edey had 29 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, as No. 3 Purdue recovered from a blown 12-point lead to beat the Spartans 67-62 in a hard-nosed quarterfinal game in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday.
Lance Jones added 10 points for the Boilermakers (29-3), who advanced to play Wisconsin in the semifinals on Saturday.
Tyson Walker had 15 points, Malik Hall pitched in 12 points and Tre Holloman scored 10 points for the Spartans (19-14), who had an 18-0 edge in fastbreak points and made a spirited rally to tie the game late before falling short in head coach Tom Izzo's 1,000th game on the bench.
Walker, the fifth-year guard, stepped up down the stretch to lead the surge.
He knocked down a midrange jumper for the tie with 1:41 left, the closest the Spartans came since a 3-2 lead, but Fletcher Loyer answered with a 3-pointer from the corner on the other end for Purdue. Loyer pressed his index finger to his lips as he trotted up the court and appeared to shout something at the Michigan State bench as the teams dispersed for a timeout. NO. 1 HOUSTON 82, NO. 25 TEXAS TECH 59 >> L.J. Cryer hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 points as topranked Houston, playing most of the way without injured big man J'Wan Roberts, used a big second half to rout No. 25 Texas Tech in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
Roberts played only a few minutes in each half after hurting his right leg, but the rest of the shorthanded Cougars covered for him. Emanuel Sharp scored 17 points and conference player of the year Jamal Shead had 12, helping Houston (30-3) outscore its old Southwest Conference rival 50-30 in the second half to reach the title game in its first year in its new conference. NO. 2 UCONN 95, ST JOHN'S 90 >> Tristen Newton had 25 points and nine assists as UConn advanced to the Big East championship game with a victory over the St. John.
Cam Spencer added 20 points and nine assists for the top-seeded Huskies (30-3), who will face 10thranked Marquette or seventh-seeded Providence on Saturday night.
It's the 11th appearance in the Big East final for Connecticut and first since Kemba Walker carried the team to its most recent title in 2011. UConn had been 0-3 in conference semifinals since rejoining the league for the 2020-21 season.
NO. 4 NORTH CAROLINA 72, PITT 65 >>
RJ Davis took over the game with 25 points, Armando Bacot scored 19 while grabbing 11 rebounds and No. 4 North Carolina beat Pittsburgh 72-65 to advance to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament final.
MISSISSIPPI ST. 73, N0. 5 TENNESSEE 56 >> Cameron Matthews and Josh Hubbard each scored 18 points as the Bulldogs dominated the Volunteers in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
This victory should push the Bulldogs (21-12) firmly off the NCAA Tournament bubble with their second win over No. 1 seed Tennessee this season. They will play No. 12 Auburn in the semifinals Saturday, their first semifinal since winning this event in 2009.
TEXAS A&M 97, NO. 9 KENTUCKY 87 >> Wade Taylor IV scored 32 points as Texas A&M upset ninth-ranked Kentucky for the second biggest upset of the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
NO.12 AUBURN 86, NO. 15 SOUTH CAROLINA 55 >> Johni Broome had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead Auburn to romp over South Carolina at the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
NO. 13 ILLINOIS 77, OHIO ST. 74 >> Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 28 points to help No. 13 Illinois overcome a 10-point second-half deficit and beat Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
The game was tied at 71 when Jamison Battle sank a 3-pointer to put Ohio State on top with 1:44 to play. But Shannon and Coleman Hawkins each hit a pair of free throws to put Illinois up 75-74 entering the final minute.