College Basketball Roundup : Purdue Beats Ohio State, 84-77, but Coach Unhappy

Purdue Coach Gene Keady didn’t offer to give the victory back, but he didn’t have to like it, either.

Troy Lewis scored 22 points as Keady’s 10th-ranked Boilermakers were anything but impressive in scoring an 84-77 Big Ten victory over Ohio State Thursday night at West Lafayette, Ind.

“I appreciate any win against anybody, anytime,” Keady said. “I don’t appreciate the way we won. It was totally ridiculous.

“Ohio State does a few things differently and we panic and shoot quick. If you shoot the ball quickly, you get beat in this league, and we were lucky we didn’t get beat.”

The Buckeyes (7-4 overall, 0-1 in the Big Ten) trailed by nine at halftime but came within 73-70 on a three-point play by Jay Burson with 6:52 left.

Ohio State closed within three on three more occasions, the last at 78-75 with 1:15 left. Then the Buckeyes took themselves out of the game with two turnovers in the last 22 seconds.

Purdue (11-1, 2-0) regained control when Lewis hit a jumper and Melvin McCants, who had 16 points and 9 rebounds, added two free throws for an 82-75 lead with 18 seconds left. Lewis added two free throws with six seconds left.

Burson scored 24 points and Curtis Wilson added 20 points and 14 assists for the Buckeyes.

Illinois 65, Minnesota 61--Kendall Gill scored 15 points, including 4 in overtime, and the No. 19 Illini overcame the Gophers in a Big Ten game at Minneapolis.

Gill’s two free throws with 2:25 left in overtime put the Illini (10-3, 1-1) ahead for good, 59-58.

Minnesota (6-5, 0-1) outscored the Illini, 7-2, in the last 2 1/2 minutes of regulation. Jim Shikenjanski’s two baskets, the second with 34 seconds left, tied it, 55-55.

Illinois had a chance to win it in regulation, but Steve Bardo missed a free throw with two seconds left.

Wisconsin 78, Michigan State 72--Trent Jackson’s three-pointer with 1:02 left in the second overtime put the Badgers ahead to stay and his two free throws with 12 seconds left clinched a Big Ten victory over the Spartans at Madison, Wis.

Jackson and Danny Jones scored 21 points for Wisconsin (7-4).

George Papadakos of Michigan State (5-6) forced overtime with a pair of free throws that tied the score, 55-55, with 57 seconds left in regulation. Wisconsin sent the game into a second overtime when Jones’ basket in the final seconds tied it again, 65-65.

Iowa State 99, Grambling 81--Jeff Grayer scored 35 points and Lafester Rhodes added 29 as the No. 17 Cyclones turned back the Tigers at Ames, Iowa.

Grayer, the Big Eight’s leading scorer, made 12 of 16 shots.

The Cyclones (12-2) had a 50-39 lead at halftime and pushed it past 20 points in the second half.

Joel Berry scored 26 points, Rene Davis added 16 and Reuben Charles had 15 for Grambling (2-10).

Utah 83, San Diego State 56--Watkins Singletary scored 16 points as the Utes routed the Aztecs in a Western Athletic Conference opener at Salt Lake City.

Keith Chapman added 13 coming off the bench for Utah (9-3) while Jimmy Madison scored 11 points and Mitch Smith, Chris Fulton and John Clark had 10 each.

Rodney Hawkins scored 13 points and Tony Ross added 12 for the Aztecs (6-6).

The Utes took control early with a 16-1 surge for a 19-7 lead.

BYU 97, Hawaii 66--Michael Smith and Jeff Chatman scored 18 points apiece and Jim Usevitch added 16 as the Cougars downed the Rainbow Warriors in their WAC opener at Provo, Utah.

The Cougars (10-0) outscored Hawaii, 16-3, in the opening six minutes and built their lead to 42 points in the second half.