No. 5 Purdue tops Illinois 76-71
By MARK AMBROGI
Associated Press
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Brandon Newman scored 19 points and Zach Edey added 17 as No. 5 Purdue held on to beat Illinois 76-71. Braden Smith added 15 points for the Boilermakers (26-5, 15-5 Big Ten). It is the first time a team has won the league title by three or more games since 2014.. Edey, who entered the game with 23 double-doubles, finished with six rebounds. He was slowed by playing just 8 minutes in the fist half after picking up two fouls. The Boilermakers led by 24 early in the second half before the Illini rallied. Matthew Mayer led the Illini (20-11, 11-9) with 16 points. Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 13, Sencire Harris 11 and Luke Goode 10 points.