LIVE BLOG: Follow Purdue's NCAA Tournament Game With Saint Peter's in Real Time
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Purdue is standing in the way of a great Cinderella story, and that's just fine with them. The Boilermakers have their own goals and concerns, and that's getting past Saint Peter's on Friday as they march. toward the Final Four,
Friday's East Regional semifinal is being played in the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, home of the NBA's 76ers. It's the first NCAA Tournament game that the Boilermakers have every played in the state of Pennsylvania.
Welcome to our live blog, where we'll give you all the news and views from the game in real time, right from press row. We'll throw in opinion and highlights too, when available. The most recent items are on top.
ENJOY THE GAME!
9:20 p.m. — Purdue fouls Daryl Banks with 14.6 seconds to go. He makes them both to make it 65-61. Jaden Ivey hits a long three for Purdue, and they foul Doug Edert with 4.1 to go. He makes them both and it's 67-64. Jaden Ivey gets a good look from 30 feet, but the shot comes up short. SAINT PETER'S WINS 67-64.
9:19 p.m. — After the timeout, Eric Hunter Jr. misses a three-pointer from the left wing, but Mason Gillis gets the offensive rebound and scores. Quick timeout for Purdue with 25.8 seconds to go. Saint Peter's leads 63-61.
9:15 p.m. — Tough defensive possession for Purdue. They get the stop they wanted when Daryl Banks missed a floater, but then Hassan Drame got the offensive rebound. Purdue knocked the ball loose, but when Mason Gillis dove for it, he was called for a foul. Matthew Lee made both free throws with 41 seconds to go.
9:11 p.m. — Daryl Banks drives the lane and scores for Saint Peter's, putting them back up front. Trevion Williams misses a shortie on the other end, and then gets called for a foul. Hassan Drame makes both free throws and it's a four-point game at 61-57. Williams misses again, but Mason Gillis gets the rebound and is fouled. He makes both free throws to make it 61-59 with 1:23 to go.
9:07 p.m. — After the timeout, Trevion Williams goes to the line. He makes 1-of-2. Daryl Banks ties it on the other end, on a fadeaway jumper over Ethan Morton. We're tied at 57. Got a review now at the end of that Purdue possession. It goes to Saint Peter's.
9::05 p.m. — Sasha Stefanovic gets called for his fourth foul while sliding under Doug Edert on a three-point attempt. He makes all three, and the lead is back to one at 56-55 with 3:42 to go. Final media timeout. Ethan Morton comes in for Stefanovic.
8:59 p.m. — Trevion Williams has been the more effective big for Purdue. He gets good position inside and scores, and was fouled. He makes the free throw and Purdue leads 54-52 with 5:51 to go. They get a break on the other end, when Doug Edert misses the front end of a one-and-one. He's an 89 percent free throw shooter.
8:56 p.m. — And Saint Peter's goes back ahead on a three by Hassan Drame at the 6:47 mark. Purdue answers, but then Saint Peter's goes back ahead on two free throws from Doug Edert. 52-51.
8:52 p.m. — We're at the under-8 timeout now, and things are still tense. Purdue leads 49-45 and it's helped that Saint Peter's is just 6-for-17 shooting so far in the second half. Purdue's defense has been good.
8:47 p.m. — Isiah Dasher hits a three from the left corner right at the 10-minute mark to make it a one-point game. Mason Gillis hits two free throws for Purdue, but the Peacocks then drag out Zach Edey in a pick-and-roll situation and point guard Matthew Lee hits a 27-footer to tie it.
8:39 p.m. — And here they come. Purdue scores on four straight possessions now, and they've regained the lead at 41-37. Saint Mary's coach Shaheen Holloway forced to call a timeout. 11:52 to go. Deep breath.
8:35 p.m. — Jaden Ivey attacks the rim and scores for the Boilers' first basket. It comes at the 14:13 mark, so mark that down. The lead is down to two at 37-35.
8:34 p.m. — Another turnover, this time by Jaden Ivey, and Matt Painter is forced to call timeout. Purdue is 0-for-7 from the field, missed all five three-pointers and have four turnovers in the half, and 13 in the game.
8:30 p.m. — Another brutal offensive possession for Purdue. A shot clock violation as the Saint Peter's defense pushes the bigs up court. Saint Peter's leads 37-33 and the Boilers have now gone more than five minutes without scoring.
8:25 p.m. — Purdue is 0-for-6 so far this half, and hasn't scored yet in nearly four minutes. We're at the first media timeout and Saint Peter's leads 35-33.
8:23 p.m. — KC Ndefo gives Saint Peter's the lead at 35-33, but then he picks up his third foul on the press. He averages 10.7 points per game, but was scoreless in the first half.
8:20 p.m. — Saint Peter's scores twice to tie the game at 33-33, but Clarence Rupert, their leading scorer, picks up two quick fouls and goes to the bench. He's got three now.
Saint Peter's notes: The Peacocks got through the half without anyone getting in too much foul trouble. No one with more than two, and they've done a good job on Zach Edey and Trevion Williams, with very active hands.
More halftime stats: Nine turnovers for Purdue, far too many. Winning the rebound battle 19-12. Really should be up by more than four, to be honest. Clarence Rupert, who is averaging 4.3 points per game for Saint Peter's, has 11 points.
Halftime stats of note for Purdue: The shooting numbers are fine, 50 percent from the field, 4-of-9 from three and 5-for-6 from the line. Saint Peter's is 38/23/67. Jaden Ivey with just four points for the Boilers, Eric Hunter goes scoreless.
7:54 p.m. — A terrific pass from Trevion Williams to a cutting Sasha Stefanovic and he scores to give Purdue a six-point lead at 33-27 with 18 seconds to go. A great half for Sasha, with 11 points.
7:45 p.m. — Emotions are running a little too high for Jaden Ivey right now. He had a pass tipped away, and was frustrated enough that he didn't get back on defense. A quick breakout for Saint Peter's. We're at the under-4 media timeout and we're tied at 27.
7:40 p.m. — The Saint Peter's lead gets to four now, the biggest of the game for the Peacocks at 23-19. But Sasha Stefanovic answers with his second three of the game. Purdue goes back ahead on two Mason Gillis free throws.
7:33 p.m. — Zach Edey has four points, but also three turnovers now after a bad pass. Jalen Murray goes to the line on the other end, and Saint Peter's pulls back ahead 19-17. Purdue ties the game on an Edey dunk off a nice pass from Eric Hunter Jr.
7:25 p.m. — We're at the first media timeout and the slipper is fitting for Cinderella so far. Saint Peter's leads 14-13, pulling ahead on a three-pointer by Hassan Drame. Four turnovers for Purdue so far, which isn't good.
7:23 p.m. — Saint Peter's needs to make three-pointers to have a chance in this game. They get their first one from forward Clarence Rupert, who had made ONE all year. He has scored their first seven points.
7:20 p.m. — NCAA officials guru John Adams weighs in on tonight's crew.
Excellent crew. Rastetter and Driscoll F4 vets. Hampton rising star. Rastetter primary to @pac12 Driscoll is @BIGEAST mainstay, Hampton several P5 + @BIGEAST Look for a very physical game.
— John W. Adams (@jwasports) March 25, 2022
7:17 p.m. — Sasha Stefanovic lines up and open three and nails it to give Purdue a 7-2 lead. That sound you heard was a huge collective sigh of relief from the collective Boilermakers fan base. He's been struggling in the postseason, so that first one was big.
7:08 p.m. — Purdue is on the board first with a Jaden Ivey jumper on their second possession. Zach Edey got a good low-post touch on the first possession, but it was tipped away from behind by Clarence Rupert.
7:05 p.m. — From Twitter: "Tom, when you say ''straight from press row, what do you mean?'' Here's the view.
7:05 p.m. — Purdue wearing the white uniforms tonight. Saint Peter's in dark blue.
6:55 p.m. — Tonight's officials are Chris Rastatter, Pat Driscoll, Brent Hampton. Presented without comment.
6:45 p.m. — For those of you watching at home, this is a beautiful building. Certainly a great atmosphere for an NCAA Tournament regional. I've seen a lot of Purdue people around town all day.
6:40 p.m. — This is rare air for a No. 15 seed. Saint Peter's is just the 10th 15-seed to ever win a game in the tournament and just the third to make it to the second weekend. The two others both lost in this round. We wrote all about the 15-seed paths earlier this week, in case you missed it. CLICK HERE
6:30 p. m. — Same starters as usual for Purdue, with Eric Hunter Jr, Jaden Ivey and Sasha Stefanovic at the guard spots, and Mason Gillis and 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey up front.
6:20 p.m. — Purdue is the first game out of the blocks on Friday night, and they get the CBS spotlight against Cinderella Saint Peter's. Here's all the information on how to watch, with plenty of great pregame information. CLICK HERE
6:15 p.m. — A nice gesture by Purdue, honoring Marine Capt. Matthew Tomkiewicz of Fort Wayne, who was killed in the line of duty last week.
Tonight, we are wearing a patch on our shooting shirts in memory of Marine Capt. Matthew Tomkiewicz, a Fort Wayne native and Purdue grad, who was 1 of 4 Marines killed in a training flight in Norway last Friday.
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) March 25, 2022
The Purdue family sends its condolences to Matthew and his family. pic.twitter.com/Fbmko1zLod
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- HOW TO WATCH: Purdue starts the action on Friday night, the first of four regional semifinal games. Here's how to watch, with gametimes and TV information, the starting lineups, bios and much more. CLICK HERE
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- ZACH EDEY GIVING PURDUE AN EDGE: Sophomore center Zach Edey, standing at 7-foot-4 and 295 pounds, has given Purdue one of the most unique mismatches in the nation. He's kept his play simple throughout the season, and his contributions have made a big difference as the team surges to the Sweet 16 against Saint Peter's. CLICK HERE
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- HISTORY OF NO. 15 SEEDS IN NCAA TOURNAMENT: For only the third time in NCAA Tournament history, a No. 15 seed has advanced to the regional semifinals. Saint Peter's, a tiny Jesuit school in Jersey City, N.J., knocked off blueblood Kentucky and 31-win Murray State last week, and now have a date with Purdue on Friday in Philadelphia. Cinderella stories are cute, but they don't usually last long. A No. 15 seed has never won a game in the second week of the tourney. CLICK HERE
- 4 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SAINT PETER'S: Here are four newsy nuggets about Saint Peter's, Purdue's opponent on Friday night in NCAA Tournament East Regional semifinals in Philadelphia. 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.