Jan. 12, 2000

Box Score

Postgame Audio

By RICK GANO
AP Sports Writer

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - No way Brian Cardinal and Mike Robinson were going to lose to Illinois. Purdue's seniors never have and maybe never will.

Cardinal, the floor-burn king of the Big Ten, scored 21 points and Robinson had 11 of his 12 in the second half Wednesday night to lead the Boilermakers to a 69-66 victory over No. 22 Illinois - Purdue's ninth straight win over the Illini.

Cardinal and Robinson both played prep basketball in Illinois and they are now 8-0 against their home state university.

Purdue, coming off a tough double-overtime loss to Michigan, improved to 10-5 and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Illinois suffered its second straight loss to an unranked team and slipped to 9-5 and 1-2 in league play.

Robinson scored eight straight Boilermakers points as Purdue took a 67-62 lead before Cory Bradford and Frank Williams hit shots in the lane to bring Illinois within one with 1:24 left.

When Cardinal missed a shot, Robinson got the offensive rebound but was called for traveling with 52 seconds left. After a timeout, Bradford missed a jumper, Greg McQuay rebounded for Purdue and the Illini fouled Carson Cunningham with 26 seconds to go. He hit both to make it 69-66.

Illinois took a timeout with 12 seconds remaining, but Williams' 3-pointer went off the rim with three seconds left and Purdue players raced to the floor to celebrate.

Bradford scored 13 points and Williams and Marcus Griffin 10 each for Illinois, which suffered its first home loss after six straight wins at Assembly Hall.

Jaraan Cornell and Cunningham had 13 points each and Robinson nine offensive rebounds for Purdue, which had a whopping 19-6 edge in offensive boards.

Illinois took a seven-point lead with nine minutes to go when Sergio McClain hit two free throws, drove for a basket and Sean Harrington sank a 3-pointer.

But then the Boilermakers, behind the frenetic and rough play of Cardinal and the offensive rebounding of Robinson, caught up and then went ahead with a 13-4 run. McQuay's dunk and Robinson's bucket after a feed from the relentless Cardinal, who grabbed an offensive rebound, put Purdue up 61-59 with 5:12 to go.

Williams' jumper tied the game for the last time at 61 and then Robinson had a tip-in, two free throws and a follow-up basket to put Purdue up.

Cardinal, whose father Rod is the Illinois team trainer, is from Tolon, Ill. He wasn't offered a scholarship by the Illini so he ended up at Purdue. And he's taken great pleasure in beating the school that snubbed him. He was booed nearly every time he touched the ball.