Purdue will play surprising Iowa team for Big Ten title

Purdue 75, Michigan State 70:

INDIANAPOLIS - Jaden Ivey had 22 points and 9 rebounds and Eric Hunter Jr. made two backbreaking 3-pointers late in Saturday's second Big Ten Tournament semifinal to help No. 9 Purdue beat seventh-seeded Michigan State.

The third-seeded Boilermakers (26-7) will face No. 24 Iowa (25-9) on Sunday in their first title game appearance since 2018.

A.J. Hoggard finished with 17 points and 10 assists. Gabe Brown scored 16 for the Spartans (22-12), who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Michigan State hasn't played in the conference title game since 2019.

When the Spartans cut the deficit to 56-54 on Brown's 3-pointer with 6:37 to play, it looked like they might end that drought.

Instead, Trevion Williams made one of two free throws, Hunter knocked down consecutive 3s, and after Williams made one of two free throws a second time, Hunter scored on a layup to give the Boilermakers a 66-56 lead with 3:31 remaining. They were Hunter's only 3s of the game.

Ivey's breakaway, off-balance layup with 1:50 left rebuilt a 10-point margin but gave Boilermakers fans some consternation when he appeared to land on his tailbone and stayed down briefly. He did not come out.

Michigan State spent the rest of the game futilely playing catch-up in what had largely been a back-and-forth game between two of the conference's perennial powers and the league's longest-tenured coaches.

Hunter finished with 11 points and Williams had 15 points and seven rebounds.

Iowa 80, Indiana 77:

INDIANAPOLIS - Jordan Bohannon banked in a 3-pointer from just inside the midcourt logo with 0.8 seconds left and No. 24 Iowa rallied to shock ninth-seeded Indiana in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal.

With the shot clock running down and the score tied, Bohannon caught a pass on the deep left wing, took three dribbles trying to shake loose and launched the long 3 from straightaway. The ball went off the backboard and through the net, sending him running backward toward the Hoosiers bench.

Keegan Murray scored 32 points as the Hawkeyes (25-9) advanced to Sunday's championship game. They will play for their first tourney crown since 2006.

Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Hoosiers, who nearly led from start to finish. Xavier Johnson added 20 points.

The Hoosiers (20-13) blew a six-point lead in the final four minutes, primarily because of a late flurry of 3-pointers from Iowa.

It started with Bohannon's 3 to tie the score at 71 with 2:27 to go. Murray's 3 with 1:56 left gave Iowa the lead and Bohannon's next 3, with 50.1 seconds left made it 77-73.

But it didn't put the game away for the Hawkeyes.

Instead, Johnson made two free throws and Indiana forced a turnover that led to Johnson's breakaway layup with 30.7 seconds left. That tied the score again at 77.

After Bohannon's go-ahead shot and a timeout, Johnson's 60-foot desperation heave bounced high off the backboard, ending the Hoosiers' surprise tourney run. It was their first semifinal appearance since 2013.

Murray also had nine rebounds and Patrick McCaffery had 16 points for Iowa.

Race Thompson finished with 11 points while Jackson-Davis grabbed 10 rebounds.