Purdue wins close 1st round match up

PORTLAND, Ore. (WISH/AP) - E'Twaun Moore had 17 points and fifth-seeded Purdue held off a late charge by 12th-seeded Northern Iowa for a 61-56 victory Thursday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Purdue used the same formula that won them the Big Ten tournament, a quick start and their patented pressure defense, in order to survive and advance.

JaJuan Johnson added 14 points for the Boilermakers (26-9), who led by as many as 14 in the West Regional at the Rose Garden Arena.

"A quick start is very important, the past few games we were able to get out to good starts and I think that's a big part of our success," Johnson said.

Kwadzo Ahelegbe had 11 points for the Panthers (23-11), who closed to within 56-54 on Kerwin Dunham's 3-pointer with 17.4 seconds left. But Chris Kramer made a pair of free throws and Ahelegbe missed a layup on the rim with 7.7 seconds left for Northern Iowa.

Lewis Jackson made one of two free throws on the other end to help seal it.

"Survive and advance is everything in this tournament. We played well in the first half and they came out and were ready in the second half...made some shots they didn't make in the first half. It's a battle. We were fortunate to make some plays down the stretch, get enough rebounds and defensive stops to push the game out," said Chris Kramer.

Purdue forward Robbie Hummel pitched in a dozen rebounds. Hummel didn't seem surprised that Northern Iowa hung with the Boilers.

"Yeah, the NCAA tournament is the biggest stage, and I think you saw that today with Memphis. You can have trouble with anybody. Everybody here's good, so whomever you're playing is a good team," said Hummel.