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TUCSON, Arizona (Ticker) -- Brian Cardinal scored 18 points, including a crucial 3-pointer late in the game, as sixth-seeded Purdue held on to defeat No. 11 Dayton, 62-61, in a first-round game in the West Region. Cardinal, who was 7-for-11 from the field, added three rebounds, including a key board in the final seconds, as Purdue (22-9) advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the seventh straight year. The Boilermakers, who have reached the regional semifinals the last two years, will meet third seed Oklahoma on Saturday. Brooks Hall's layup completed a 9-0 run with 2:51 left in the second half as Dayton grabbed a 58-55 lead. But Purdue's Jaraan Cornell drained his third 3-pointer of the second half with just over two minutes remaining to tie it. After a steal by Cornell, Cardinal made Purdue's 10th 3-pointer of the game to give the Boilermakers a 61-58 lead. Cardinal blocked a drive by David Morris out of bounds, but Yuanta Holland received the in-bounds pass right under the basket and laid it in to cut Purdue's lead to 61-60 with 38 seconds to play. Purdue's Greg McQuay was fouled under the hoop with 23 seconds left and made 1-of-2 free throws to give the Boilermakers a two-point advantage. The Flyers went for the win on their next possession as Hall missed a go-ahead 3-pointer, but he got the offensive rebound and was fouled with 6.7 seconds remaining. Hall made the first free throw, but missed the second as Cardinal came down with the rebound and was fouled with four seconds to play. Cardinal missed the front end of a 1-and-1, but Dayton's Tony Stanley missed an off-balance 3-point attempt as time expired. Stanley and Mark Ashman scored 16 points each and Holland added 14 for Dayton (22-9), which appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1990 as an at-large team out of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Purdue led 28-25 at the half, but the Flyers took their first lead of the second half as Stanley scored five in a 10-2 run. Hall made 1-of-2 free throws with 14:13 remaining to complete the surge and give Dayton a 39-38 advantage. The Boilermakers responded with a 16-8 run as Cornell scored eight points, including his second 3-pointer of the half with 6:32 to play, as Purdue moved out to a 54-47 lead with 6:32 remaining. Cornell scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and Carson Cunningham added 10 for Purdue, which shot 42 percent (21-of-50), including 10-of-23 from behind the arc. The Boilermakers overcame 19 turnovers and struggled from the foul line, making only 10-of-17 free throws. Both teams struggled from the field in the first half as Purdue shot 38 percent (11-of-29) and the Flyers 36 percent (12-of-33), including 0-for-8 from 3-point range. The Boilermakers built a 26-19 cushion on a dunk by McQuay with 3:25 remaining, but Holland scored six straight points before Cardinal made a 14-footer at the buzzer to give Purdue a three-point lead at the intermission. Dayton shot 41 percent (26-of-63), but made only 2-of-17 3-pointers as Stanley went 2-for-10 from beyond the arc.
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