Hello, Newman: Seldom-Used Reserve Brandon Newman Helps Purdue Avoid Rash of Upsets
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Brandon Newman has been the forgotten man on Purdue's roster during the last half of the Big Ten season. He's only played in four games since Jan. 17 and hasn't scored a single point since then.
But on Friday night, the Boilermakers really needed him, and he stepped up in a big way. He scored 12 points as No. 3 seed Purdue (26-6) beat No. 11 seed Penn State 69-61 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. It was his first double-digit scoring game since November.
"For him to be able to come out and be productive, you've got to tip your hat to him," Purdue coach Matt Painter said of Newman. "It was a great performance, and we don't win that game without him."
The Boilers will play Michigan State in the semifinals on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Penn State jumped all over Purdue early, leading 12-2 after 4-plus minutes. Purdue sophomore Jaden Ivey missed his first four shots.
Senior center Trevion Williams made a quick impact off the bench, scoring seven first-half points, and the Boilers methodically reeled them in.
Senior guard Sasha Stefanovic picked up his second foul at the 5:37 mark and he was replaced by Newman, who has only played in four games since Jan. 17 and didn't score in any of those. He got seven quick points against Penn State to help Purdue get back in front.
"I'm not going to say I knew that was going to happen, but I could feel something," Purdue senior guard Eric Hunter Jr. said. "When he first got in the game, he just told me he was locked in."
On his first possession, he hit a short jumper, and then Ivey hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to two at 27-25. Williams scored the next trip down to tie the game.
Newman followed that with a three, Ivey scored on a drive and a foul. Newman made another jumper with 1:07 to go to give Purdue a 35-31 halftime lead.
Purdue got the lead to double-digits at the 10:20 mark on a Zach Edey basket and then stretched it 12 two minutes later on a Hunter three-pointer to cap a 21-13 run. Newman had four more points during the breakout.
The lead didn't last long, however, as Penn State got hot from three. Jaheam Cornwall hit two, and Dallion Johnson nailed another. And when Sam Sessoms scored on a drive, it was 62-61 Purdue with 2:39 remaining.
Ivey made two free throws to build the lead to 64-61, and then a minute later was able to bust out after a Penn State miss and went the length of the court to score, making it 66-61 with 44 seconds to go.
Penn State missed again and was forced to foul, and Newman made 1-of-2 free throws. Sasha Stefanovic was fouled next, and made both free throws, his only two points of the game, to ice it.
"They're difficult to go against," Painter said. "I knew the start of the game was going to be that way, just because we've had the double-bye every year, it just seems like the people that get a chance to play a game or two games get into that second or third game, and they seem to have an advantage at the start.
"But I thought our guys were really resilient. I thought they hung in there, kept making plays, did a lot of good things."
Purdue played the last of the four quarterfinal games late Friday night, and the Boilermakers were the only high seed to avoid an upset. Earlier in the day, Indiana knocked off No. 1 seed Illinois 65-63 behind Trayce Jackson-Davis' 21 points, and Michigan State knocked off No. 2 seed Wisconsin 69-63. No. 5 seed Iowa also beat No. 4 Rutgers 84-74
Michigan State and Purdue only played once this season, and that came on Feb. 26 in East Lansing. Zach Edey had a terrific game for the Boilers, scoring 25 points, but Michigan State backup point guard Tyson Walker hit a three-pointer with four seconds to go to give the Spartans a 68-65 win.
Saturday's game starts at 3:30 p.m. ET, and will be televised on CBS. The Indiana-Iowa game precedes it, starting at 1 p.m. ET.
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- PHOTO GALLERY: Purdue defeats Penn State 69-61 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, and there are 30 pictures to show for it. Take a peek inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse at the close-up action. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE VS. PENN STATE LIVE BLOG: Relive Purdue's 69-61 victory over Penn State with all the play-by-play action from our live blog. CLICK HERE
Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who's worked at some America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Indianapolis Star. He also owns the book publishing company, Hilltop30 Publishing Group, and he has written four books and published 16 others.