Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Purdue Boilermakers: Live scoring updates, highlights from 2024 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game

Bulldogs and Boilermakers meet for the right to play in the Elite Eight
Nov 20, 2023; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA;  

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nolan Hickman (11) drives to the
Nov 20, 2023; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nolan Hickman (11) drives to the / Steven Erler-USA TODAY Sports
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The 5-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs came up short in an 80-68 loss to the 1-seed Purdue Boilermakers in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament.

After a back-and-forth first half, Zach Edey and co. were too much for the Zags to handle down the stretch. The 7-foot-4 All-American finished with 27 points, 16 of which came in the second half, to go with 14 rebounds. Braden Smith nearly had a triple-double with 14 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds.

Graham Ike led the Bulldogs with 18 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late in the second half. Anton Watson and Ryan Nembhard had 14 points each.

Purdue outrebounded Gonzaga and outscored it 42-26 in the paint.

The Boilermakers advanced to their third Elite Eight since 2000.

Here is the live updates recap:

FINAL: Purdue 80, Gonzaga 68

SECOND HALF:

Purdue 76, Gonzaga 59 (3:24): Ike fouled out at the 5:07 mark and finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Smith's layup with 3:34 left put him at 14 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds for the night.

Purdue 69, Gonzaga 57 (6:36): Nembhard ended the scoring drought with a jumper in the midrange, followed by a transition bucket from Watson. Bulldogs started the half 9-of-21 from the field, while the Boilermakers were 13-of-22 to start and were ahead in the rebounding department, 15-7.

Purdue 67, Gonzaga 53 (8:52): Boilermakers opened their largest lead of the night after Cameron Heide's 3-pointer in transition capped an 8-0 scoring run. Bulldogs went scoreless for over two minutes prior to a full timeout from Mark Few.

Purdue 61, Gonzaga 53 (9:49): Bulldogs lost control of Edey in the paint, leading to three-straight second-chance scores for the Boilermakers. Shots stopped falling on the offensive end once Purdue gained momentum behind its overwhelming crowd.

Purdue 51, Gonzaga 44 (15:39): Ike got a score over the smaller Purdue defender to stop the bleeding for the Bulldogs.

Purdue 51, Gonzaga 42 (16:24): Loyer's 3-pointer at the top of the arc capped a 9-1 scoring run, prompting a timeout from Mark Few and the Zags. Trey Kaufman-Renn had three-straight scores out of halftime to give his team life, while the Bulldogs struggled to get good looks at the rim against Edey.

HALFTIME: Purdue 40, Gonzaga 36: Back-and-forth first half sees both teams knock down 15 field goals, while the Boilermakers had an advantage from behind the arc with 7 3-pointers. Edey closed the half with a dunk and a free-throw after Gregg picked up his third foul. Ike and Jones each had 12 points.

FIRST HALF:

Gonzaga 33, Purdue 33 (3:09): Bulldogs put together a collective effort to keep Edey off the glass. A miss from the 7-foot-4 All-American turned into a scoring opportunity for Hickman, as he pulled up for a floater while Ike sealed Edey in the paint. Second basket of the night for Gonzaga's junior guard.

Gonzaga 29, Purdue 28 (6:19): Bulldogs responded to the Boilermakers' run with a putback dunk from Ike followed by a 3-pointer in the corner from Watson, who led all scorers early with 10 points. Both teams shot better than 50% from the field to start. Purdue started generating open looks off pick-and-rolls with Smith and Jones.

Purdue 28, Gonzaga 24 (8:11): Smith and Jones drilled two more 3-pointers for a quick 6-0 scoring burst to put the Boilermakers out in front. Purdue made six of its first nine attempts from long range.

Gonzaga 20, Purdue 17 (10:57): Jones and Gillis knocked down back-to-back triples to keep the Boilermakers in striking distance. Nembhard continued to dominate the pick-and-roll, knocking down a jumper through contact from Heide for the 3-point play.

Gonzaga 12, Purdue 7 (15:33): Nembhard had his fingerpints all over the game early, especially in the pick-and-roll. Junior had five points, three assists and a rebound at the first media timeout, including a stepack triple after dropping a Purdue defender. Gregg picked up two fouls early.


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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Bulldogs On SI. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.