WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. _ Purdue fans were bummed entering Sunday's game when a win against Minnesota wouldn't give them a chance to share the Big Ten regular season title.
That opportunity was gone when Michigan State survived a scare against Wisconsin to finish 16-2 and clinch the outright conference championship.
The No. 9 Boilermakers still had something to play for. After all, it was Senior Day for one of the winningest classes in program history. The Gophers were playing for pride, but they could only keep it close in the first half of a 84-60 loss Sunday at Mackey Arena.
The Gophers (15-16, 4-14) finished the regular season with their 13th loss in 15 games after getting blitzed to open the second half behind a 3-point shooting barrage from Purdue led by Dakota Mathias, who finished with 25 points on 7-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
Mathias, who scored 17 points in the second half, was one of four senior starters honored by the Boilermakers (26-5, 15-3) after the game, including Vincent Edwards, Isaac Haas and P.J. Thompson.
Minnesota trailed 47-36 after a 3-point from Dupree McBrayer three minutes into the second half. But Carsen Edwards, Vincent Edwards and Mathias helped the Boilermakers hit their first six 3-pointers in the period to ignite a 14-0 run that turned the momentum for good.
Purdue shot 58 percent in the second half, which included hitting eight of 12 3-pointers in the game.
Carsen Edwards finished with 18 points. Haas and Vincent Edwards finished with 13 and 10 points in their final home game, respectively.
Nate Mason scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half, including a high-arching shot off the glass as time expired to cut a once 16-point deficit to 37-29 at halftime.
Mason passed Kevin McHale and Sam Jacobson to reach No. 5 on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,713 points, but that would be the lone bright spot from Sunday for his team.
Jordan Murphy finished with his 23rd double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Washington also had 14 points for the Gophers, who finished 11th place in league and play Wednesday in the Big Ten tournament against the 14th seed.
