Isaac Haas, No. 17 Purdue roll Utah State to reach Cancun Challenge final

(AP) Isaac Haas scored 26 points and Dakota Mathias added 25, both career highs, as No. 17 Purdue beat Utah State 85-64 in the Cancun Challenge on Tuesday night.

[btn-post-package-v2]

Haas and Mathias took over in the second half, when they combined for 32 points on 12-of-13 shooting to help the Boilermakers (3-1) pull away after leading 39-27 at halftime. Mathias shot 6 of 7 on 3-pointers.

Alexis Dargenton led the Aggies (3-1) with 14 points and nine rebounds. Julion Pearre added 10 points.

Caleb Swanigan chipped in 15 points and made the second of the Boilermakers' 11 3-pointers for a 19-7 lead, their biggest of the first half, with 11:43 to play.

The Aggies came back and cut the margin to 28-27 on a layup from Jalen Moore with 4:16 to go, but Purdue closed the half with 11 unanswered points.

THE BIG PICTURE

Purdue: The Boilermakers arrived in Mexico with plenty of questions after an emotional loss to defending national champion Villanova followed by a shaky performance in a 64-56 win over Georgia State after trailing by 12. The Panthers beat the Boilermakers on the glass and stymied their 3-point shooters before Purdue ripped off a 20-point run. The Boilermakers answered some questions in this one, though, improving their 3-point shooting and first-half defense.

Utah State: The loss snapped the Aggies' most consistent run since last season when they won four straight in late December.

UP NEXT

Purdue plays Auburn (4-0) for the tournament's Riviera Championship on Wednesday.

Utah State plays Texas Tech (3-1) for third place in the tournament's Riviera Division on Wednesday.