WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) – The Purdue Boilermakers feel like they’re playing their best basketball.
After their upset of Wisconsin on Sunday, the Boilermakers felt they still had some steam.
They just didn’t have enough for a second straight upset.
Terone Johnson scored a career-high 35 points and Rapheal Davis added 15 for Purdue, which fell short in an 80-75 loss to No. 7 Michigan on Wednesday night.
The Boilermakers (14-16 7-10 Big Ten) have lost five of their last seven games.
“I just think we’ve all came together at the end of the season, saved our best basketball for last.” Davis said. “We’ve just been playing hard, putting everything together and start forgetting about ourselves and start playing for the coaches, the alumni and the fans.”
Trey Burke had 26 points and five rebounds, Nik Stauskas had 17 points and Tim Hardaway, Jr. added 16 points and five rebounds for the Wolverines (25-5, 12-5), who have won four of their last five games and remain in the race for a share of the Big Ten title.
Sandi Marcius’ three-point play accounted for Purdue’s first points of the game.
Marcius wasn’t done. He scored Purdue’s first nine points, but the Boilermakers fell behind 21-9.
“(Fans) just want to see someone play hard,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “He has a positive outlook, he has a smile on his face and he’s happy to be here.”
Marcius finished with 13 points and five rebounds and injured his ankle with 13:45 to play in the second half. He went to the locker room and later reentered the game, but left again and sat on the ground at the end of the bench.
Hardaway’s 3-pointer with 3:46 left gave Michigan a 66-64 lead.
Stauskas made free throws and a 3-pointer to extend the lead and Burke added two free throws with 20 seconds left to make it 77-73.
The Wolverines handed the Boilermakers their 10th conference loss. It’s the first time the Boilermakers have lost at least 10 Big Ten regular season games since 2005-06 – Painter’s first season as head coach.
Burke started Michigan’s big run in the second half with a 3-pointer and Stauskas later hit a 3 to make it 54-48.
Burke made two free throws to make it 55-50 and Robinson made two more from the line to make it 55-52 with 7:43 left.
But they were never able to take a big lead at the end.
After Burke gave the Wolverines a five-point lead late, Terone Johnson scored to make it 77-75.
“I felt like we put ourselves in a good position to win,” Terone Johnsn said. “We just didn’t come out with it in the end.”
Burke was fouled again and split from the line. Burked grabbed a steal and then went to the line again and scored both free throws with seconds remaining.
“It was everybody coming together in the second half,” Hardaway said. “At halftime we did a good job of saying `Hey this is it, Big Ten Title is on the line.”’
The Wolverines will host No. 2 Indiana on Sunday.
“It’s going to be a crazy environment on Sunday,” Burke said. “Indiana is one of the best, if not the best. We’ve already lost down in Bloomington and they come to Ann Arbor Sunday so we will be ready.”
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