Jan. 5, 2008
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Keaton Grant scored 17 points and Purdue held off Michigan's second-half comeback 65-58 Saturday for its first win in a Big Ten opener in five years.
The Boilermakers (10-4, 1-0) led by 14 points at halftime, but freshman Manny Harris led a big comeback for the Wolverines (4-10, 0-2), who closed within 56-53 with less than a minute remaining.
Purdue then scored its final nine points on free throws, including four straight by Scott Martin and two by Grant, whose other 15 points came on 3-pointers.
Grant's two free throws gave Purdue a 60-55 lead, then Martin stole the ball and hit two more from the foul line to put the game out of reach.
Robbie Hummel added 13 points for Purdue, while Harris led Michigan with a career-high 25 points and DeShawn Sims added 15 points.
Purdue took its early lead by holding the Wolverines without a field goal for almost 10 minutes during one stretch of the first half, building their lead to as many as 14 points with a flurry of 3-point baskets just before halftime.
A basket by Harris with 12:32 left in the opening period was the final field goal for the Wolverines until Zack Gibson scored with 2:55 left before the break. The only Michigan points during that stretch were on five free throws by Harris as Purdue began pulling away.
One of the Big Ten's worst 3-point shooting teams, the Boilermakers nevertheless scored their final five baskets of the first half from long range, including three straight by Grant for a 31-17 lead with two minutes remaining.
Harris then hit Michigan's only 3-pointer of the period, but Purdue sub Marcus Green countered with just his third 3-pointer of the season and first in the past five games for a 34-20 lead at the break.
The victory was Purdue's first in a conference opener since an 82-68 win over Northwestern in 2003