Jan. 26, 2004

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Gene Pool is considered Purdue's best sixth man.

But on Sunday afternoon, senior Brett Buscher had something to say about that against Michigan State before a sellout Mackey Arena crowd of 14,123.

Buscher, a 6-foot-8 forward from Chesterton, Ind., came off the bench to score 17 points and grab eight rebounds to spark the 23rd-ranked Boilermakers to a 76-70 overtime victory over the Spartans.

With the win, coach Gene Keady's team earned a tie with Wisconsin and Indiana for the Big Ten lead at 4-1. The Boilermakers are headed to Bloomington to play the Hoosiers on Tuesday.

Buscher, who had four points in the first half, scored 10 points in the final eight minutes and three in overtime to post his season highs for points and rebounds.

"I definitely got confidence against Minnesota," said Buscher, who scored 10 points this past Wednesday as the Boilermakers stopped a Gopher comeback to post a 72-65 victory. "I feel I can knock down that 15-foot jump shot. That's a strength of my game."

That this is his final campaign as a Boilermaker -- and the expectations of those around him -- helped Buscher take on the role of leader in front of a national television audience on CBS.

"It's my senior year. This is my last go-around. So, if we are struggling, I just want to step up and lead the team. As a senior, it's part of my responsibility to do that."

What was just as pleasing for Keady and the Boilermakers was that it marked the first time this season that a close game inspired the team to respond down the stretch. After falling behind by six points with just under four minutes remaining, Purdue was able to knot the score at the end of regulation and win decisively in overtime.

Three of Purdue's losses have been by a total of five points: 47-45 at Oklahoma on Dec. 11, 60-59 to SMU on Dec. 21 and 71-69 at Colorado State on Dec. 27.

"I'm proud that the kids never gave up and had a tremendous effort down the stretch," Keady said. "The crowd really helped us in overtime. For four years, we haven't won these type games. But the kids came back and hung tough.

"SMU and Colorado State games we didn't know how to win. Those taught us to win and what to do. You never give up and have a mental toughness."

Junior Brandon McKnight hit a layup with seven seconds remaining in regulation to send the contest to overtime. After 58 seconds elapsed in overtime, McKnight nailed a 17-foot jumper to give Purdue the lead for good at 66-64.

"It felt good to have the game at home," McKnight said. "The Gene Pool was rocking. There's no greater feeling than taking it to overtime. I know the fans appreciate how hard both teams played."

Keady also acknowledged McKnight's hard play.

"McKnight struggled in the first half, but came back really focused in the second half," Keady said. "There was solid determination in his face. Like, 'Hey, we're going to win this thing.'"

MSU coach Tom Izzo also credited the crowd in the Boilermaker victory.

"I think that's what Gene Keady deserves," Izzo said. "And, as you know, I'm a big Gene Keady fan. This is the perfect Purdue team -- blue collar, tough, great guys."

Izzo was quick to credit the 3,000-strong Gene Pool with helping swing the game the Boilermakers' way.

"The Gene Pool did a great job," he said. "We could not call stuff late. It did make a difference in that respect because we were a little helter-skelter in stretches.

"When you play at home, you should have a home-court advantage. That's what they gave them. Since I don't have to come here again, I hope they do a great job from here on out."

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