Purdue outlasts USC to advance in Big Ten tournament

On a night when Camden Heide and Myles Colvin provided the biggest spark of the season off the bench, Purdue had to finish this game with a victory.

Right?

Heide and Colvin played key roles on both ends as the sixth-seeded Boilermakers outlasted USC 76-71 in Thursday night’s second-round action at the Big Ten tournament.

Purdue advances to Friday’s quarterfinal matchup against No. 3 seed Michigan (9 p.m., BTN).

Colvin and Heide combined for 17 points and 16 rebounds, and Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn made sure the duo could back up their production with a win and another game in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

During a back-and-forth second half, Smith’s layup broke a 67-67 tie, and Kaufman-Renn’s putback extended the margin to four with 2:07 to play. But Desmond Claude, who didn’t play in the regular-season meeting, finished the final 10:27 with four fouls but delivered 10 of his 18 points in the final 7:34.

Kaufman-Renn hit two free throws with 28.3 seconds left to give the Boilermakers a 73-71 lead. Claude missed a short jumper and was in position to grab the offensive rebound, but Heide darted in and corraled the loose ball. It was the biggest rebound of the night for Heide and Purdue. Heide finished with a career-high 11 rebounds.

After Kaufman-Renn hit 1 of 2 free throws, Smith forced a steal and was fouled. Smith’s two free throws gave Purdue a five-point lead. Kaufman-Renn had 30 points and seven rebounds.

Although Purdue won the rebounding, the Trojans grabbed timely ones that led to 22 second-chance points.

Purdue’s offense was disjointed from the opening tip. Too many unforced turnovers. The inability to clean up the rebounding on the defensive end. The 14th-seeded Trojans were effective from the perimeter and also scored in the paint.

USC led by 10 with 7:10 left in the first half before the Boilermakers found a spark.

Heide drained the first of two 3-pointers, and the defense ramped up, forcing a shot clock violation. It was all part of a 10-0 run that brought Purdue back into the game.

But the Trojans weren’t rattled. They kept forcing the action and were rewarded based on their effort on the boards. Purdue tied the score at 35 before halftime on Colvin’s 3-pointer.

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