ST. LOUIS (WISH) — No. 2 seed Purdue beat No. 7 seed Miami, 79-69, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season. Purdue trailed by two at halftime, but a strong second half powered the Boilermakers to another win in the NCAA Tournament. “It’s hard to win a game in the tou rnament,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said. “To be able to win a couple games here is an accomplishment, but it’s also hopefully just the start for us.” “We’re excited,” Purdue senior guard Braden Smith said. “I mean, obviously going to enjoy this win. Obviously, it wasn’t a perfect win for us. We would like to clean up some things. I’d like to clean up some things personally, but we’re happy. You got a win and you got to find ways to win, especially during this time.” Fletcher Loyer led Purdue with 24 points, shooting 6-7 from the field and 4-4 from three. “Fletcher’s efficiency is just like off the charts,” Painter said. “To get 24 points on 7 shots, only have one miss is really kind of unheard of in terms of his points per possession.” Purdue shot 53% from the field and 57% from three as a team, and knocked down 21 of its 22 free throw attempts. Trey Kaufman Renn added 19 points and nine rebounds. Smith had 12 points and eight assists, as well as eight turnovers. Purdue sophomore guard C.J. Cox went down with an apparent knee injury early in the second half. He said after the game that he hyperextended it and it tightened up, adding that it’s nothing serious and he feels good. “I’m glad we were able to pull away and get the W and I just can’t wait for next week,” Cox said. Purdue will play No. 11 seed Texas in the Sweet 16 on Thursday in San Jose, California. ...read more read less