By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Minnesota's Vincent Grier scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half and Aaron Robinson added 14 points to rally Minnesota from a 15-point deficit for a 59-57 victory Saturday, ruining Gene Keady's home finale at Purdue.
The Gophers (19-9, 9-6) survived despite J'son Stamper missing two free throws with 5.9 seconds left. Minnesota has won three straight.
Purdue's Gary Ware rebounded Stamper's second miss, and Brandon McKnight drove in for a 12-footer that would have forced overtime. But the shot bounced off the back of the rim. McKnight finished with 18 points, while David Teague added 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Boilermakers (7-18, 3-11) lost their third in a row after playing the last 33 minutes without Carl Landry, the Big Ten's leading scorer. Landry injured his right knee early and finally limped back to the bench with 7:26 remaining.
Purdue looked like it would give Keady a special send-off with a strong first-half defensive performance. They took control with first-half runs of 6-0 and 10-0 and led 31-18 after Teague hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the half.
But after building a 40-25 with 14:44 left, Minnesota charged back with 14-2 run. The Gophers tied it on Grier's running 12-footer with 7:04 left, then took the lead when Grier retrieved a loose ball and drove in for a dunk.
Purdue regained the lead when McKnight hit 1 of 2 free throws with 1:41 left to make it 56-55, but Minnesota's Dan Coleman answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession and the Gophers held on.
Keady finished his career at Mackey Arena with a 282-72 all-time record, including 20-4 against Minnesota.
Before the game, the student section, named the Gene Pool, presented him with a commemorative photo and Purdue officials were scheduled to give Keady more gifts after the game. Keady also was scheduled to speak to the third sellout crowd of the year.
