Purdue tops BYU on A.J. Hammons' shot in OT

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Purdue's experience at the EA Sports Maui Invitational began with heads hanging in regret after a poor first half against Kansas State.

It ended with the Boilermaker bench sprinting onto the court in jubilation at the Lahaina Civic Center.

A.J. Hammons' hook shot floated in with 1.8 seconds left in overtime, lifting Purdue to an 87-85 victory over BYU in Wednesday's thrilling fifth-place game.

"The only thing in my mind was to get the shot up," Hammons said. "When I was dribbling I thought they were going to double, so I spinned. But he went for the fake, so hopefully, I thought, the up-and-under was going to fall. But I knew I had my teammates to rebound for me, so either way we were going to try to get a tip-back or something like that."

Playing its most physical game of the season, Purdue survived a terrific second half from BYU guard Tyler Haws thanks to another tone-setting performance from Rapheal Davis, Vince Edwards' best performance of the tournament and critical defensive plays late in the game from Kendall Stephens.

The Boilermakers opened the tournament with their worst half of basketball this season. They leave two victories later with a renewed confidence and better sense of their identity.

"I learned that all the work we put in this summer didn't go to waste," said Davis, the man Stephens singled out as Purdue's tournament MVP. "Everybody always says they had a good summer and worked real hard. The way we fought at the end, the way we came together like that, the way our bench was jumping up and down, screaming, helping us out — I think we came together. Everything that we put in during the summer, it showed today at the end."

The game featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes. Purdue won despite 17 turnovers and a 29.4 percent 3-point shooting effort.

BYU's Kyle Collinsworth hit a pair of free throws with 14.4 seconds left to tie the game at 85-all. After Hammons' basket, Collinsworth's half-court heave fell short.

Tyler Haws scored 20 of his game-high 32 points in the second half or overtime, making 13 of 14 free throws. He took the final shot in regulation — after Isaac Neilson rebounded his own missed shot to give the Cougars a second chance. Haws pulled up against Jon Octeus from the left wing, but his shot glance off the side of the rim at the buzzer.

BYU bookended a victory over Chaminade with two overtime losses in Maui.

"I think our guys all left it out there," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "We just didn't have enough to get the win."

At the end of regulation, BYU led 79-76 before Edwards hit four free throws in a 13-second span. The last two gave the Boilers an 80-79 lead with 1:37 left in regulation.

Edwards, who scored 10 points in the first two Maui games, made his first seven field goals against BYU — including three 3-pointers — en route to a team-high 25 points. The "stretch four" in Purdue's offense exploited his speed and agility advantages against BYU's big men.

"Coach Painter said, when you get the slow guys, you've got to be able to make plays for us," Edwards said. "Fortunately my teammates found me and I was able to drive, get open shots.

Hammons, in another uneven performance marred by foul trouble, collected 12 points, four rebounds and four blocks with one assist and three turnovers. We were playing great team ball and we got the 'W' and I'm thankful for that."

BYU came into the game ranked second nationally in scoring average with 99 points per game. That included Tuesday's 121-85 rout of tournament host Chaminade, in which the Cougars hit 17 of 29 3-pointers. Chase Fischer hit 10 of 13, including 9 of 10 in the first half.

But it was the Boilermakers who came out with a jump-shot approach. Purdue didn't find a rhythm until about seven minutes in, when 7-foot-2 freshman center Isaac Haas scored a pair of baskets in the post. Around the same time, Davis forced a tie-up in front of the Purdue bench, and the resulting energy boost continued through an 11-0 run that gave the Boilermakers the lead through the first five minutes of the second half.

For the second straight game, Davis was a catalyst for the Boilermakers. The junior captain continued to set a defensive tone while fighting his way to the line to make 10 of 11 free throws en route to 18 points.

BYU's shooters, who opened the game 3 of 11 on 3-pointers, heated up against a young Purdue lineup. Fischer hit a 3 with 15:04 left — his second in a 90-second span — to give the Cougars their first lead since the game's first nine minutes.

Neither team led by more than five from there, or by more than three in the final two minutes.

"Very rarely do you play in a game where the ball gets loose in their key moments and you get none of them, and you win the game," Painter said. "... But we were able to hang in there and grind it."