NCAA Tournament: Johnson, Purdue deny Washington in a memorable war

When the going got tough on an electric Saturday in Portland, the Purdue Boilermakers grew an extra bit of backbone.
 
Given a supreme challenge by a spirited opponent from Seattle, coach Matt Painter's blue-collar ballclub used center JaJuan Johnson's late-game defense to hold off the Washington Huskies, 76-74, in a sensational second-round NCAA Tournament game. The two-point triumph in a bruising basketball battle enables Purdue to escape the state of Oregon with a precious ticket to the West Regional semifinals next Thursday against Connecticut.
 
More on Johnson's giant interior presence in a bit. First, it's important to put this game in its appropriately lofty place. The quality of competition was that good in the City of Roses.
 
Other games in the rich history of the NCAA Tournament have held more impact than this round-of-32 matchup between the fifth-seeded Boilermakers and the fourth-seeded Huskies. With that said, it's hard to imagine a March Madness contest as fiercely fought as this rousing affair in the Rose Garden.
 
In the first half, Purdue simply punched Washington in the mouth. The Huskies--winners of a weak Pac-10 Conference that saw standard-bearer UCLA get crushed by Villanova earlier in the day--were not ready for a physical set of guards who could defend with distinction. In the first 20 minutes, Purdue's backcourt decisively outplayed the Huskies' speedy guards, as the trio of E'Twaun Moore, Keaton Grant and Lewis Jackson had their way with Washington guards Justin Dentmon--a 15-point-per-game scorer--and pesky slasher, Venoy Overton, who got in foul trouble and never became a factor. Due to their defense on the perimeter, the Boilers took a 39-28 lead to the locker room at halftime.

At the break, the Huskies and Coach Lorenzo Romar clearly found a new level of motivation.
 
After the Boilermakers threw all the haymakers in the first half, Washington came out furious and forceful in the second stanza. Husky big man Jon Brockman, a senior with the heart of a lion, spent every ounce of energy as he dominated Purdue on the boards. Any Boilermaker fan knows how hard it is to beat a Matt Painter team on the glass, but Brockman did exactly that in the second half, snagging 11 of his game-high 18 boards to give Washington added possessions. By posting 20 points along with his 18 boards, Brockman easily exceeded the accomplishments of any other big man who faced Purdue this season, with the sole exception of Oklahoma's Blake Griffin.
 
When Brockman gave the Huskies additional chances to score, the one backcourt player who rose up for Romar was Isaiah Thomas. The Pac-10 freshman of the year threw down 20 points on the afternoon, and when UW made its second-half surge, it was Thomas who beat Moore off the dribble to get to the lane and score from both the field and the foul line. Inspired by Brockman and Thomas, tweener forward Quincy Pondexter (20 points, 10 boards) also amped up his game to give Washington three prime players all operating at the height of their powers. Fueled by three maniacal men who were spilling their guts on the floor, Washington moved within four points of Purdue, at 58-54, with 9:37 left in regulation.
 
From that point onward, the two teams engaged in a death-defying defensive donnybrook.
 
In the final nine and a half minutes of play, the two teams traded punches in a mighty scrap whose intensity was revealed by the fact that the worst and most breathtaking collisions involved the guards on the floor, and not the post players. The forays to the basket by Thomas sometimes left Moore and teammate Chris Kramer lying on the ground. Moore and Overton experienced multiple collisions produced by Overton's overaggressive defense. All in all, Purdue and Washington contested the final minutes as though the lives of each and every player were at stake. With bodies flying over the court and all 10 players selling out on each possession, this showstopping second-rounder never lost its fever pitch as it careened to its clamorous conclusion.

Enter JaJuan Johnson.
 
With Purdue unable to put Washington away, the Huskies--down 73-71--had a few final chances to tie the game after creeping within two points on several prior occasions down the stretch. It was at this moment that Johnson--whose duel with Brockman was a treat to watch--put his stamp on this hardwood heartstopper.
 
With 1:05 left, Johnson blocked a shot by Thomas, and after the Huskies corralled the loose ball, Johnson swatted away an attempt from Pondexter with 58 seconds remaining to give the Boilers the ball. When another Purdue miss gave UW one more chance, Johnson was there to alter a final floater from Thomas with 21 ticks left on the clock. Kramer got the rebound for Purdue, and Moore--despite bush-league antics from Dentmon, who tried to distract all of the Boilers' free-throw shooters throughout the game--hit three charity pitches in the final seconds to seal the deal.
 
Two teams provided maximum effort and total concentration in a well-played war that will linger in the public memory. Only one team can win these kinds of classics, however, and because JaJuan Johnson literally stood tall in the lane, Purdue became that team. It's been nine long years since the Boilermakers reached the Sweet 16. Given the level of this passion play in Portland, it was certainly worth the wait for the lads from West Lafayette.

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