Big Ten Tournament Quick Wrap: Purdue 67, Michigan State 62

Purdue guts out a win against Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals, knocking out the Spartans, 67-62.

More importantly, Purdue avoids disaster when Braden Smith went down in the second half with an apparent knee injury. On a drive, Smith planted hard, and went crumpling to the ground past the basket. It looked like Purdue's season might have collapsed with him.

But after testing the knee in the hallway, Smith would return to his normal seat on the bench next to assistant coach PJ Thompson. A few minutes later, he would re-enter the game.

To add injury to injury, Zach Edey was dominant again against the Spartans despite looking obviously hobbled at times as well. Edey had 29 points to go with 12 rebounds and 4 assists.

Michigan State fell behind by as much as ten points in the second half, but fought all the way back, tying the game at 56-56 with just over a minute to play on a Tyson Walker mid-range jumper.

But Braden Smith found Fletcher Loyer in the corner and Loyer drained a three to give Purdue a three point lead.

Michigan State freshman Xavier Booker would then rattle out a three for Michigan State at the other end, and Edey would ice the game at the other end with a lay up off a post feed.

Lance Jones was the only other Boiler in double-figures with 10 points, but it was his defense that helped spur one of Purdue's best performances on that end of the floor. Jones drew five offensive fouls in the game.

Michigan State shot 24-61 from the floor and just 4 of 18 from three while turning the ball over 13 times to Purdue's 11.

Purdue's offense stymied Michigan State from the jump. Michigan State would go 9 of 27 from the floor in the first half as Purdue tried to pull away without its star Braden Smith for most the half.

With Purdue's point guard Braden Smith, in foul trouble and on the bench, Purdue pinned its ears back and did things the hard way. Smith went to the bench with his second foul at the 13:27 mark. Purdue was up 13-7.

Cue Lance Jones, Purdue's fifth-year transfer that was brought in to play next to Smith. But Jones was also insurance for moments like this when his team needed a jolt on offense.

Michigan State's Jaxon Kohler tipped in a missed shot just after Smith went to the bench to close Purdues' lead to 13-9.

Then Lance Jones drew a charge. Zach Edey then missed the front end of a one and one at the other end. Then Lance drew another charge.

Then Jones dropped a three that gave Purdue an 18-10 lead, the biggest of the first half.

Painter would bring Smith back into the game for a brief period, but would miss a lay up that would lead to Michigan State getting back into transition where Tyson Walker knocked down a three from the left corner to cut Purdue's lead to 18-16.

Smith would then score on a lay up after a Mason Gillis pass found him on a cut.

Malik Hall would respond with an And-1 at the other end that would give Michigan State its closest deficit of the half, 22-21.

Then Lance Jones would take a tipped offensive rebound from Edey and get to the rim, converting through contact to extend Purdue's lead back to four after a basket and a foul.

As part of Smith's fouls, Painter went to his true freshman Myles Colvin off the bench whose minutes have been inconsistent at most this season. Colvin responded.

After Colvin missed a three-pointer, Mason Gillis chased down the long rebound and the ball found Colvin again who converted on a pull up from mid-range.

A couple plays later, PJ Thompson drew up a play for Colvin to take advantage of a double on Edey, and the big man found Colvin cutting and the true freshman finished with a two-hand dunk.

A left-handed hook by Zach Edey gave Purdue a 34-27 lead. It was Edey's fifth basket of the half and gave him 15 points.

Then Lance Jones finished the half drawing two more offensive fouls, first a charge against Tre Holloman and then Malik Hall away from the ball. The foul gave the. ball back to Purdue who couldn't convert on the final possession, but who took a seven point lead into half in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal.

Braden Smith got called for an early offensive foul when he pushed off a Michigan State guard and was whistled. Then he got caught up trying to get through a screen trailing Tyson Walker and the point guard had two fouls with more than thirteen minutes to play. Smith would get a brief run later in the first half, but Purdue mostly used its bench and a stringent defense to keep its lead as its star guard sat on the bench.

A lot of that bench production came from Myles Colvin, the true freshman who has been in and out of the lineup during the season.

Colvin played 6 minutes in the first half and had his most sustained impact of the season in his first career Big Ten Tournament game. He scored 5 points, nailing a mid-range shot, throwing down a two handed dunk, and getting to the line where he went one of two.

The entire state of Minnesota might have been declared in a state of emergency for Boilermakers if things were as bad as they looked when Braden Smith took a funny step, twisted his knee, and went sprawling to the floor on the side of the Purdue band.

Zach Edey came over and looked at his point guard on the ground. Tyson Walker looked on with concern. Every Purdue fan flashed back to previous Minnesota disasters, and for a second, it seemed like Purdue's magical season came crashing down just a few days before the NCAA Tournament.

But Smith was able to test his knee in the tunnels and returned to the game just a few minutes later.

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