March 4, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Jamie Broback had 28 points and No. 15 Minnesota used a final 11-3 run to beat two-time defending champion Purdue 71-68 in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals Friday.
Janel McCarville added 22 points and nine rebounds for the Golden Gophers (23-6). Minnesota plays top-seeded Ohio State (28-3) in the semifinals Sunday.
Trailing 65-60 with just under 3 minutes left, Broback tied it at 65 with a three-point play and McCarville put Minnesota up for good on a runner with 58 seconds left.
Purdue drew to 69-68 on Sharika Webb's 3-pointer with under 20 seconds left, but April Calhoun made two free throws for the final margin. Katie Gearlds' 3-point attempt at the buzzer rattled in and out.
Gearlds scored 15 of her 21 points in the second half for Purdue (16-12). Webb added 16 points and Erin Lawless finished with 14 points and seven rebounds
The Boilermakers, who have won the tournament five times in its 10-year history, had not lost in the quarterfinals since a 61-54 defeat to Indiana in 1997.
After a close first half, the Golden Gophers used an 8-2 run to open a 29-24 lead. McCarville had six points during the spurt. Purdue scored five straight to end the half at 33-all.
Minnesota scored the first six points after the break, but the Boilermakers later had their own 6-0 run to tie it at 41.
Purdue opened a five-point advantage after a 3-point play by Gearlds with 2:48 left.