Somebody should have told Purdue coach Gene Keady if he keeps that scowl on his face during tight games, he may never get rid of it.
Maybe he doesn’t care. Maybe it’s already stuck that way.
But to see Keady after Purdue’s 62-61 victory over Dayton in the first round of the NCAA’s West Regional on Thursday, it’s clear he can put on a happy face even after an ugly win.
“We won, we’re moving on, and I don’t care if it was ugly,” Keady said with a laugh.
Despite 19 turnovers Purdue (22-9) rebounded from a first-round loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament to win an NCAA first-round game for the eighth consecutive year, a streak matched only by Kentucky and Kansas.
The outcome wasn’t decided until after the Flyers’ David Morris took a 40-foot pass, dribbled passed half court and put up an off-balance shot that missed from well beyond the three-point line.
Dayton (22-9) had the opportunity to win because Purdue’s Brian Cardinal had missed the front of a one-and-one with four seconds left.
“I saw Chad [Kerkhof’s] man come over and I got a little worried,” said Cardinal, who had a game-high 18 points. “So I ran out and tried to get in [the shooter’s] face a little bit and when he released that ball I was praying it wouldn’t come close.”
Making its first NCAA tournament appearance in 10 years, Dayton was led by Mark Ashman and Tony Stanley with 16 points apiece. When it came to the last shot, however, Dayton coach Oliver Purnell designed it for Morris, a sophomore.
“We had the ball where we wanted it,” Purnell said. “We just did not get a good look.”
The Boilermakers, supposedly the weaker shooting team, hit 10 of 23 three-pointers (43 percent), including three each from Jaraan Cornell and Carson Cunningham. When Dayton’s Brooks Hall learned he and his teammates had shot 2 for 17 from three-point range (12 percent) he was in disbelief.
“We were 2 for 17?” asked Hall, a freshman starter. “That’s definitely not like us.” The final three minutes keeps heart doctors in business. After trailing almost the entire game, Stanley had five points during a 9-0 Dayton run to help the Flyers take a 58-55 lead with 2 minutes 54 seconds left. Cornell and Cardinal then hit three-pointers to make it 61-58 at the 1:20 mark before Yuanta Holland’s layup moved Dayton within 61-60 with 40 seconds left. Then the free throws began.
Purdue’s Greg McQuay, a 49 percent free-throw shooter, hit 1 for 2 to increase the Boilermakers’ lead to 62-60. Hall missed the second of two free throws and Cardinal was fouled on the rebound, setting up his missed foul shot and the final play.
“I think our older kids have been there before and they didn’t panic and kept their cool,” Keady said.
