BTN.com staff, November 17, 2011

Six Big Ten men's basketball teams played Thursday and the conference went 6-0. Purdue battled to a win over Iona while Northwestern defeated LSU and Minnesota handled Fairfield. Later on, Iowa beat Northern Illinois, Michigan held off Western Illinois and Illinois ran away from Lipscomb. You can also catch all available men's video highlights in here, too.

Don't forget to check out the latest from the Big Ten Geeks, our contributing hoops bloggers who just posted their Big Ten season previews and their early Big Ten thoughts. You can follow the Geeks on Twitter @bigtengeeks and they love to hear from you. Want the latest on women's basketball scores? We've got a complete BTN women's scoreboard here and women's highlights here, too.

Purdue 91, Iona 90BOX | AP RECAP

FINAL: Purdue captured the lead with 22 seconds to go on a field goal by Robbie Hummel and hung on for a 91-90 win over Iona on Thursday at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Hummel led four the Boilermakers players in double digits with 24 points in the victory. Along with Hummel's work, Lewis Jackson registered 17 points, Ryne Smith recorded 15 points, and Kelsey Barlow chipped in 14 points.

Purdue was able to carry momentum into the break and sustain it into the second half. The Boilermakers trailed 48-42 late in the first half, but a 15-2 run allowed them to take a seven-point lead with 18:34 remaining in the game. The game was back and forth as the two teams traded the lead 11 times. Purdue was effective from three-point range during the game, making 12 and shooting 48 percent.

Lamont Jones had 17 points and went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc for the Gaels in a losing effort. Scott Machado was 5-of-8 from the floor and chipped in 14 points for Iona. The Gaels hit 50 percent of their field goals (31-of-62). Iona was on fire from beyond the arc during the game, hitting nine threes and shooting 53 percent from long distance. In addition to Jones' performance and Machado's contribution, Taaj Ridley scored 16 points, Jermel Jenkins registered 13 points, and Michael Glover racked up 13 points.

HALFTIME: Iona and Purdue go into the half even at 50 even though Taaj Ridley had a strong first half. The Gaels have been able to make the most of their good looks from long range, hitting at a 67 percent clip (6-of-9). The Boilermakers have been more effective from beyond the arc than the inside and might want to attempt more three-point shots in the second half after shooting 53 percent (8-of-15) from three-point range in the first half. Ridley has played well thus far for Iona with 12 points. Lewis Jackson has been the best player on the court for Purdue thus far with 10 points.

Northwestern 88, LSU 82: BOX | AP RECAP

FINAL: John Shurna scored 37 points to lift Northwestern to an 88-82 win over LSU on Thursday at TD Bank Arena in Charleston in the Charleston Classic. The game was back and forth as the two teams traded the lead nine times.

The Wildcats were effective from three-point range during the game, making 12 and shooting 39 percent. Northwestern shot 86 percent from the charity stripe and made 24 free throws. Besides Shurna's work, Drew Crawford scored 17 points and Dave Sobolewski totaled 10 points.

Johnny O'Bryant had 21 points and made 6-of-8 shots from the floor for the Tigers in the game. Justin Hamilton shot 4-of-5 from the field and scored 10 points for LSU. The Tigers hit 48 percent of their field goals (27-of-56). LSU attempted 26 free throws and made 22. In addition to O'Bryant's production and Hamilton's stellar play, Andre Stringer added 15 points and Anthony Hickey tallied 11 points.

HALFTIME: John Shurna has played well thus far for Northwestern, even though the Wildcats trail LSU 41-32 at the break. In the first 20 minutes, Northwestern's Shurna scored 16 points and hit 3-of-5 three-point tries. Nobody has been able to take control of the game thus far. The Wildcats and the Tigers traded the lead eight times in the first half.

It could've been an even dimmer outlook for Northwestern, which trailed LSU by as many as 14 points in the half. The Tigers have been effective inside by making 13-of-17 two-point field goals, but LSU has struggled on the perimeter by shooting 22 percent (2-of-9) from three-point range. Ralston Turner, the leading scorer this season for the Tigers, has not made much of an impact through the first 20 minutes. He enters halftime with three points. Anthony Hickey has played well thus far for LSU with 11 points.

Minnesota 67, Fairfield 57: BOX | AP RECAP

FINAL: Trevor Mbakwe paced Minnesota with 20 points to lead the Golden Gophers to a 67-57 victory over Fairfield on Thursday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers went 27-of-31 from the charity stripe as a team (87 percent). To go with Mbakwe's efforts, Andre Hollins registered 12 points.

Rakim Sanders contributed 14 points for the Stags in the game. Desmond Wade shot 6-of-8 from the field and scored 12 points for Fairfield. The Stags shot 15-of-23 from the free throw line. In addition to Sanders' production and Wade's contribution, Ryan Olander scored 14 points. Down 21-18 in the first half, Minnesota broke out for an 11-3 run to take a five-point lead late in the first half. Austin Hollins capped the run off with a field goal that helped the Golden Gophers lead 29-24 at the half. The Golden Gophers outshot Fairfield 46 percent (19-of-41) to 42 percent (20-of-48).

HALFTIME: Minnesota found itself trailing Fairfield late in the first half, but an 11-3 run allowed the Golden Gophers to take a 29-24 lead into halftime. Both teams took turns controlling the momentum as there were six lead changes. The Stags have been effective inside, making 9-of-15 two-point field goals, but Fairfield has struggled on the perimeter, shooting 10 percent (1-of-10) from three-point range. Trevor Mbakwe's big game so far includes eight points. Rakim Sanders led the way for the Stags in the first half, with seven points.

Iowa 88, Northern Illinois 55: BOX | AP RECAP

FINAL: Behind a solid offensive effort, Iowa defeated Northern Illinois 88-55 on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes shot 54 percent from the field (33-of-61). Iowa shot 13-of-21 from three-point range during the game, good for 62 percent. A run lasting across the halftime break allowed the Hawkeyes to grab the advantage. Iowa led 37-27 late in the first half before it widened the margin to 28 points with a 25-7 run that ended early in the second half.

Abdel Nader was a bright spot for the Huskies in the loss with 18 points. Josh Oglesby sparked the Hawkeyes as he tallied 16 points, made 6-of-9 shots from the floor, and shot 4-of-7 from long range for Iowa in the game. Matt Gatens had a quality shooting game, nailing 5-of-6 shots from the field and scored 15 points. Besides Oglesby's work and Gatens' stellar play, Eric May racked up 14 points. Northern Illinois had trouble finding its touch, shooting just 35 percent (19-of-54) from the field. In addition to Nader's efforts, Tim Toler totaled 10 points.

HALFTIME: Josh Oglesby and Matt Gatens have teamed up to give Iowa 49-30 lead over Northern Illinois. Oglesby scored 11 points and shot 4-of-5 from the field. Gatens scored 11 points and shot 4-of-5 from the field. The Huskies trailed 37-27 before allowing the Hawkeyes to go on a 12-3 run to close the half. Iowa fired often and fired with accuracy from distance, hitting 78 percent (7-of-9) of its three-point attempts. Northern Illinois' Abdel Nader had a big first half, with 11 points.

Michigan 59, Western Illinois 55: BOX | AP RECAP

FINAL: Ceola Clark III scored 21 points and grabbed five rebounds, but it wasn't enough to lead Western Illinois past Michigan, as the Leathernecks fell 59-55 on Thursday at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor. Evan Smotrycz's field goal gave the Wolverines a nine-point lead with 46 seconds to go, but they nearly threw that advantage away.

Trey Burke sparked Michigan as he tallied 14 points, dished out five assists, and shot 3-of-4 from long range for the Wolverines in the game. Jordan Morgan was 5-of-5 from the floor and chipped in 11 points for Michigan. The Wolverines went 14-of-22 from the charity stripe as a team (64 percent). It was a team effort for Michigan, as it had 13 assists on 19 baskets. Along with Burke's performance and Morgan's contribution, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 16 points. Terell Parks shot 5-of-7 from the field and scored 11 points for Western Illinois. The Leathernecks shot 49 percent from the field (20-of-41). Western Illinois was hot from long range, hitting 7-of-16 threes for a 44 percent night from beyond the arc.

HALFTIME: The game is tied 28-28 at the half. Neither team has been able to take control of the game as the lead changed hands five times. The Wolverines fired often and fired with accuracy from distance, hitting 45 percent (5-of-11) of their three-point attempts. Evan Smotrycz, the leading scorer this season for Michigan, has not made much of an impact through the first 20 minutes and has been held scoreless. Racking up eight assists on nine baskets, the Wolverines demonstrated their offensive efficiency. The Leathernecks fired often and fired with accuracy from distance, hitting 67 percent (6-of-9) of their three-point attempts. Tommie Tyler, the leading scorer this season for Western Illinois, has just three points at the break. The Leathernecks distributed the ball with six assists on 10 field goals in the first half. Michigan's Trey Burke had a big first half, with nine points. Ceola Clark III's big game so far includes 11 points. Powered by Narrative Science.

Illinois 79, Lipscomb 64: BOX | AP RECAP

FINAL: Illinois seized control of the contest after the break and captured a 79-64 victory over Lipscomb on Thursday. Leading 36-33 early in the second half, the Fighting Illini used a 27-6 spurt to open their cushion to 24 points with 7:36 remaining. D.J. Richardson sparked Illinois as he scored 17 points, shot 7-of-12 from the field, and went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in the win. Sam Maniscalco was 4-of-7 from the floor and chipped in 15 points for the Fighting Illini. Illinois hit 52 percent of its field goals (29-of-56). Aside from Richardson's performance and Maniscalco's stellar play, Brandon Paul tallied 12 points and Joseph Bertrand contributed 11 points.

Jacob Arnett contributed 17 points and knocked down 5-of-7 shot attempts for the Bisons in the loss. Lipscomb struggled from the floor, shooting 32 percent (19-of-60). The Bisons shot 8-of-20 from three-point range during the game, good for 40 percent. Along with Arnett's work, Robert Boyd scored 16 points and Malcolm Smith chipped in 10 points.

HALFTIME: Illinois leads 33-26 over Lipscomb at the half thanks to the efforts of D.J. Richardson, who has nine points. The long-distance game has been bottled up and Illinois might be better served by bringing the ball inside more as the Fighting Illini shot 60 percent (12-of-20) on two-point shots, but 2-of-9 from beyond the arc. The Bisons' leading scorer, Zavion Williams, has been shut down thus far. Sitting with four points, he is far below his usual level of production. Robert Boyd led the way for Lipscomb in the first half, with 11 points.

Recaps powered by Narrative Science/Data provided by Stats LLC