Rapid Reaction: Purdue's season ends with loss to Saint Peter's in Sweet 16
Purdue’s season has come to an end while Saint Peter’s magical run continues.
The Boilermakers struggled on both ends of the court on Friday night, falling 67-64 to the Peacocks in the Sweet 16. The No. 15 seed from New Jersey has now defeated No. 2 seed Kentucky, No. 7 seed Murray State and No. 3 seed Purdue to get to the Elite 8.
Saint Peter’s also becomes the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Elite 8 in the history of the NCAA Tournament. Talk about March Madness, right?
Purdue’s distinct size advantage in the post with Zach Edey and Trevion Williams turned out to be a non-factor in the game because of issues with turnovers and shooting the 3-ball. Purdue ended the game with 15 turnovers compared to Saint Peter’s’ 8. The Boilers also made just 5-of-21 shots from behind the 3-point line.
Despite the back-and-forth early in the game, Purdue was able to take a 33-29 advantage into halftime. The Boilermakers got 11 points from Sasha Stefanovic, who provided a much-needed spark.
The second half was a different story. The two teams traded punches throughout the final 20 minutes. Purdue owned a 56-52 lead with under 5 minutes to play. Saint Peter’s then went on a 9-1 run in the next 3 minutes to flip the score to 61-57 in its favor.
Purdue couldn’t bounce back.
Jaden Ivey hit a clutch triple to bring a 4-point game down to 1 with under 10 seconds to play. Then, Doug Edert connected on a pair of free throws to put the Peacocks up 67-64. Ivey’s final attempt to tie the game was off the mark.
SAINT PETER'S HAS DONE IT! 😱😱😱
Peacocks keep dancing to the #Elite8! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/2hRQE8Efa6
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2022
Saint Peter’s had three players reach double figures on Friday night, led by Daryl Banks III with 14. Clarence Rupert added 11 and Doug Edert chipped in 10.
Purdue was led by Williams, who scored 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Edey and Stefanvoic each scored 11 and Gills added 10. Ivey ended the night with 9 points.
The Boilermakers finished the season 29-8.