Kramer seals Purdue OT win

MANILA, Philippines - Chris Kramer drove through a tall Texas A&M defense and knocked in the basket with 4.2 seconds remaining, lifting the Purdue Boilermakers to a thrilling 63-61 overtime victory over the Aggies and into the regional semifinals of the US NCAA tournament in Spokane, Washington Sunday.

“I had the ball and went right and crossed over to the left, and it parted like the Red Sea,” Kramer said of A&M’s defense.

B.J. Holmes got a final chance to win it for fifth-seeded Texas A&M but his three-point try at the buzzer in front of his bench fell short, ensuring a sixth regional appearance in 12 NCAA tournaments dating to 1994 for Purdue.

The Boilermakers, who rallied from 11 points down in the second half, will now face top-seeded Duke in Houston on Friday. Hummel has already promised he will be there.

Kramer led the Boilermakers with 17 points and seven rebounds-and countless dives to the floor for loose balls.

“A lot of people are saying, `Great accomplishment, you made the Sweet 16 without Robbie Hummel,’ but the coach keeps saying you’ve got to keep dreaming,” Kramer said of Matt Painter. “You’ve got to want more, and you can never be satisfied.”

Hummel, Purdue’s top player, was sidelined by a knee injury.

After Holmes’ last miss, he stayed slumped on the court with his head bowed under his Aggies maroon jersey for more than a minute.

“It took an unbelievably tough team to beat us. Purdue is tough,” said choked-up coach Mark Turgeon, one of the few Aggies in any condition to speak. “This one really stings.”

In other results, No. 2 West Virginia toppled 10th seed Missouri, 68-59, and the 12th ranked Cornell upset No. 4 Wisconsin, 87-69, in East Region. Second seed Ohio outclassed No. 10 GA Tech, 75-66, and fifth seed Michigan nipped No. 4 Maryland, 85-83, in the Midwest Region.

Top seed Duke beat No. 8 California, 68-53, in the other South Region clash while West Region top seed Syracuse dumped Gonzaga, 87-65, and No. 6 Xavier upended third ranked Pittsburge, 71-68.