Heartbreaker for Purdue basketball in Sweet 16. Houston hits game winner in final second
INDIANAPOLIS — All the metrics and analytics weren't lying.
Houston's defense is as good as advertised.
In the closing minutes, Purdue's offense was better, but the Cougars had one last trick up their sleeve, scoring off an out of bounds play on Milos Uzan's lay in with 0.9 of a second left.
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Uzan's bucket it Lucas Oil Stadium to conclude a game beginning Friday night and ending Saturday morning capped Purdue basketball's season-ending 62-60 loss to the top-seed Cougars in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.
The sharp shooting of junior guard Fletcher Loyer helped the Boilermakers (24-12) enjoy a halftime lead. Despite a combined 30 points from Loyer and center Trey Kaufman-Renn, along with Cam Heide's game-tying 3 with 35 seconds left, Purdue got upended by Uzan's heroics.
More: BoilersXTRA: Purdue faces Houston in the Sweet Sixteen
Purdue basketball turning point vs. Houston in Sweet 16
Braden Smith coaxed Houston into fouling him just before the halftime buzzer and made a pair of free throws to give Purdue a 31-29 halftime lead.
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Houston responded immediately out of the locker room.
The Cougars scored on six straight possessions to open the second half, including a second-chance 3.
Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Furst (1) and Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) box out Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler (11) Friday, March 28, 2025, during the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Purdue, meanwhile, missed five straight field goals in the second half before Cam Heide's 3-pointer.
After holding its ground in the first half both defensively and on the boards against Houston, Purdue struggled rebounding and getting stops in the second half. Once Houston has you playing from a few possessions behind, you're at the Cougars' mercy.
Still, Purdue rallied from a 10-point deficit to tie it, then forced a missed shot but knocked the ball out of bounds with 2.8 seconds left. Uzan inbounded the ball to Joseph Tugler, who passed it back to Uzan for the game-winner.
3 stars
Milos Uzan, Houston: The junior guard hit big shot after big shot. Each 3 felt like a dagger in Purdue's comeback hopes. His game-winner was the final two of a game-high 22 points.
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J'Wan Roberts, Houston: With Cam Heide draped all over him, Roberts ran the shot clock down, then hit a touch one-hander over Heide that put the Cougars up 48-41. The difference was Houston's rebounding and that's where Roberts came up huge, corralling a game-high 12.
Braden Smith, Purdue: The junior point guard became the first Big Ten player with 300 assists in a season after totaling 15.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue basketball falls in Sweet 16 to Houston on last-second shot
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