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Wisconsin uses late rally to topple Purdue

Feb 2, 2011 - 3:52 AM Madison, WI (Sports Network) - Jon Leuer posted 24 points and 13 rebounds, helping 19th-ranked Wisconsin pull out a 66-59 victory over No. 11 Purdue at the Kohl Center.

Jordan Taylor added 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for the Badgers (16-5, 6-3 Big Ten), who trailed by one with a little more than a minute to play.

But Ryan Evans hit a go-ahead jumper with 50 seconds left to start a game- ending 8-0 run that allowed Wisconsin to avoid a second consecutive loss. The Badgers dropped a 56-52 decision at Penn State on Saturday.

"Overall, we were unhappy with the way we played Penn State," Leuer said. "We knew a hard-nosed team like Purdue, just like us, would come in here and try to get on the glass and just beat us up physically. We knew that coming in, and it was important for us to get on the glass and get second-chance points."

Wisconsin held a 32-25 rebounding edge and scored eight second-chance points, compared to three for Purdue.

JaJuan Johnson had 23 points to lead the Boilermakers (18-5, 7-3), who lost for the second time in their last three games. E'Twaun Moore added 15 points in the setback.

Both teams held a multiple-possession lead in the second half, and with 3:30 left, Josh Gasser's layup put Wisconsin up 58-52. The basket ended a six-point burst, but Purdue countered with the next seven.

Johnson got into the lane for a short hook shot, and D.J. Byrd drove from the right perimeter for a layup with 2:08 remaining. He sank the foul shot to pull the Boilermakers within one, and after Leuer missed a jumper, Byrd got another layup to fall with 1:11 left.

But Evans put Wisconsin ahead on its next possession, beginning the game's final swing. After Johnson missed a jumper, Leuer made two free throws with 36 seconds left, and Lewis Jackson's errant layup led to a 1-of-2 performance at the line by Gasser, making it a 63-59 contest with half a minute to go.

Purdue's next two possessions resulted in Moore turning the ball over and a missing a three, and Evans threw down a fastbreak dunk with nine seconds left to put an exclamation mark on the win.

The Badgers carried a 27-19 lead into the break after scoring the final seven points of a close first half.

But Purdue quickly erased its deficit in the second half, and grabbed a 31-29 lead on back-to-back threes from Ryne Smith. The Boilermakers pushed their advantage to 46-39 on Moore's jumper with 11:37 to play, but Taylor followed with four consecutive free throws to keep Wisconsin close.

"I thought our guys did a good job in the second half, battling back," said Purdue head coach Matt Painter. "We were very fortunate to be in the game. It was a poor offensive execution by us in the first half, having 10 turnovers. We were lucky to be in the position we were and be able to be in striking distance and only be down eight."

The Badgers went back ahead, 51-49, on a Keaton Nankivil three with under seven minutes remaining.

Game Notes

Wisconsin has won nine of the 11 all-time meetings with Purdue at the Kohl Center...Byrd finished with 11 points for the Boilermakers, who shot 48 percent but turned the ball over 13 times...Gasser finished with 11 points for Wisconsin, which held a 32-25 rebounding advantage and committed only seven turnovers. Evans added 10 points.