KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After trailing for the entire game, the Kansas Jayhawks narrowly escaped disaster by beating the Purdue Boilermakers 63-60 in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday in Omaha, Neb.
No. 10 seed Purdue (22-13, 10-8 Big Ten) jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start the game, and led 17-6 with 13:10 to go in the 1st half. Senior guard Robbie Hummel was on fire, scoring 22 points in the first half alone. The Boilermakers led 36-30 at the half.
No. 2 seed Kansas (29-6, 16-2 Big 12) spent the entire game chasing Purdue. With 3:06 remaining in the 2nd half, the Jayhawks took their first lead of the night. Junior guard Elijah Johnson drained a three-pointer from way beyond the arc to put KU up 57-56.
With :30 seconds left, KU gained their second lead of the game after a steal and layup by Elijah Johnson put the Hawks up 61-60.
Robbie Hummel missed a three-point attempt with :12 seconds left, and KU junior forward Thomas Robinson got the rebound. Senior guard Tyshawn Taylor caught the outlet pass and instead of running the clock out, Taylor opted to dunk the ball with 2.5 seconds remaining.
Purdue senior guard Ryne Smith’s buzzer beating three-point attempt bounced off the rim, and shell-shocked Jayhawk fans let out a huge sigh of relief.
KU had a miserable night offensively. They shot 33.9% from the field, and were 6 of 24 from three-point range.
Elijah Johnson’s late game heroics helped him lead the Hawks with 18 points. Thomas Robinson finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Robbie Hummel led Purdue with 26 points and 9 rebounds.
With the win, Kansas advanced to the Sweet Sixteen and will travel to St. Louis, Mo. on Friday to take on No. 11 seed North Carolina State Wolfpack.
