Purdue Boilermakers vs Butler Bulldogs Match Player Stats On Dec 21, 2019

Sophomore forward Bryce Golden led four scorers in double figures with 14 points, lifting No. 17 Butler to a 70-61 win over Purdue at the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Forward Jordan Tucker and guard Aaron Thompson added 12 points apiece for the Bulldogs (11-1), while forward Sean McDermott had 11 points.

Sophomore forward Trevion Williams led Purdue (7-5) with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Aaron Wheeler added 11 points and sophomore point guard Eric Hunter Jr. had 10 points and three assists before fouling out with 35 seconds left.

Hunter cut Butler's lead to 62-58 with a free throw with 55 seconds left before the Bulldogs finished off the Boilermakers with a late 8-0 run. Butler won the game with defense, holding Purdue to 33-percent shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs outrebounded Purdue 36-30 and proved to be the more productive team inside, outscoring Purdue 26-16 on points in the paint.

Butler led 26-21 at halftime, holding Purdue to just 21.4-percent shooting in the first half. Purdue jumped to a quick 11-4 lead on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Sasha Stefanovic.

The Bulldogs rallied back, going up 19-17 on a Christian David dunk. A 3-pointer from Jordan Tucker extended Butler's lead to 24-17 with 3:53 left in the half.

Golden scored eight points in the first half while McDermott scored six.

Butler extended its lead to as many as 17 points in the second half before Purdue rallied late. The Boilermakers played without junior center Matt Haarms, who sat out his second straight game in concussion protocol.

Butler has pulled off wins over Florida, Minnesota, Ole Miss and now Purdue this season, with its lone loss coming at then-No. 11 Baylor by one point.

--Field Level Media