Purdue able to avoid 0-3 Big Ten start
Robbie Hummel's back appears to be fine.
The sophomore forward missed Purdue's previous game, a loss to Penn State, with back spasms. He returned to score 11 of his 16 points in the second half as the No. 14 Boilermakers beat visiting Wisconsin 65-52 on Sunday for their first Big Ten win.
Hummel, the league's preseason player of the year, made 4 of 8 3-pointers and had 5 rebounds in 28 minutes.
"The first half, I was a little iffy," he said. "The second half, I got more confident."
Hummel hit his lower back hard on the floor in the first half, but he said it wasn't a problem.
"The adrenaline kicked in," he said. "To be honest, I feel really good. I didn't feel any pain."
Purdue defensive stopper Chris Kramer, who missed the Penn State game with a sprained left foot, played 21 minutes. Kramer and Hummel both got their first action about five minutes into the game.
Purdue, the conference favorite, looked shaky in losses to Illinois and Penn State and was in danger of falling to 0-3 in the league.
The Boilermakers (12-4, 1-2) committed just 4 turnovers, and 1 one in the second half. Hummel and Kramer finished without a turnover.
"I think they really helped us in a lot of aspects of the game," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "Sharing the basketball, making the extra pass, they do a lot of the little things."
JaJuan Johnson had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Boilermakers.
Joe Krabbenhoft had 13 points and 7 rebounds for Wisconsin (12-4, 3-1), which had won three straight. Marcus Landry, Wisconsin's leading scorer, finished with 9 points on 3-for-15 shooting.
Purdue led 41-34 before Hummel made a 3-pointer, Kramer made a layup and Marcus Green hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to give the Boilermakers a 49-34 lead and force a Wisconsin timeout.
Michigan 64, Iowa 49: Manny Harris scored 11 of his 18 points in the first half, leading to Michigan's strong start and a win over visiting Iowa (11-6, 1-3 Big Ten).
The Wolverines (13-3, 3-1) were in control from the start, scoring the first 2 baskets en route to a 15-4 lead after Harris' 3-pointer.
Minnesota 79, Penn St. 59: Reserve Devron Bostick scored 19 points to lead 22nd-ranked Minnesota (15-1, 3-1) to a victory over Penn State (13-4, 2-2).