Red Raiders advance to Elite 8 for first time ever, eliminating Purdue
BOSTON, MA (KCBD) - The Red Raiders made history Friday night as the Tech men advanced to the Elite 8 for the first time in school history, knocking off 2nd seeded Purdue 78-65 in Boston.
Keenan Evans led Tech with 16, including 12 in the 2nd half.
Bench points was the big difference as Tech outscored Purdue 33-6. Zach Smith had 14 and Niem Stevenson added 9.
The Red Raiders held Purdue scoreless for seven minutes in the first half. Tech would close out on a 10-0 run to take a 30-25 lead at the half. Keenan Evans had one basket and 4 points in the first 25 minutes, but you knew the Senior would pick it up in the 2nd half.
He did just that, hitting a big 3 to put the Red Raiders up 63-55 with four minutes to play. That was part of a 9-0 run as the lead increased to 12.
The 27-9 Red Raiders now play top-seeded Villanova 1:20 p.m. CDT Sunday in Boston with the winner advancing to the Final 4 in San Antonio.
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