Skid ends the hard way
Boilers finally snap 4-game slide in third OT after struggling at foul line
WEST LAFAYETTE — In most bizarre, circuitous, agonizing fashion, Purdue ended its four-game losing streak.
The Boilermakers tried to give away Wednesday night’s game against Minnesota at the foul line, but came away with a 77-74 win in triple-overtime, the first such game in Mackey Arena history. They seemingly had the game won both in regulation and the first overtime, but could not close the deal until the third.
With 57.3 seconds, A.J. Hammons scored to give Purdue (14-9, 4-6 Big Ten) a 75-74 lead, after the Boilermakers had forced a shotclock violation, after Terone Johnson — who had missed four free throws late in the second half — missed two with 1:53 left.
After Austin Hollins missed a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left and the shot clock winding down, Ronnie Johnson made the first of two free throws to give Purdue a 76-74 lead with 18.0 seconds left. Errick Peck grabbed the offensive rebound, got fouled and made the second free throw with 16.0 seconds left to make it 77-74.
After Austin Hollins missed another 3-pointer for the Gophers (15-8, 4-6), Peck missed two free throws with 4.8 seconds left. But the Boilermakers fouled, Andre Hollins missed the first free throw and committed a rim violation on the second. Finally, ballgame. Hammons had hit two free throws with 31.7 seconds left in the second half — getting fouled after Ronnie Johnson threw the ball in his direction — to give the Boilermakers a 60-58 lead.
Andre Hollins — who unexpectedly played after missing the last two games with an ankle injury — missed a shot in the waning seconds and Austin Hollins couldn’t convert the putback.
But Terone Johnson missed two free throws with 4.0 seconds left, Austin Hollins pushed the ball and scored as time expired to force overtime.
Terone Johnson also had missed two free throws (three, actually, after a Minnesota lane violation) with 1:58 left and Purdue leading 58-55. Those misses preceded Joey King’s tying 3-pointer, after a Gophers offensive rebound, with 1:35 left in the second half.
The Boilermakers then scored the first four points of the first overtime to take a 64-60 lead, and still led 64-62 approaching the half-minute mark, with possession. But they committed a turnover, and DeAndre Mathieu hit two free throws — he also hit a pair with 55.9 seconds left — to tie the score with 31.1 seconds left.
Ronnie Johnson missed a long jumper as time expired, as the game headed to the second overtime.
With the score tied at 68-68 in the second OT, Minnesota’s Malik Smith missed a 3-pointer out of the right corner, sending the game to a third overtime.
Seemingly oh-so-long-ago, after Andre Hollins and King hit backto-back 3-pointers, the Gophers had led by as much as 18-11 with 9:18 left in the first half.
But the Boilermakers grabbed a 29-28 edge going into halftime. Sterling Carter hit two 3-pointers, and his floater gave them their first lead, 21-20 with 6:25 left.