WEST LAFAYETTE — In a critical moment of Sunday's game against Illinois, Ethan Morton and the Purdue defense stuck to its game plan and got the stop it needed to seal the win.

Leading by two with less than a minute remaining in the game, the Boilermakers knew Illinois wanted to get its best athlete and finisher Terrance Shannon Jr. going downhill toward the rim for two quick points. Morton just missed forcing a steal seconds earlier, and sensing blood in the water, everyone on the Purdue defense played its part to close out the game, a 76-71 win.

As Shannon turned the corner and began his drive to the basket, Purdue's defenders stuck to their men, taking away the option for a kick-out go-ahead 3-pointer. Shannon's only option was to continue to the basket, but Morton used a well-timed swipe to knock the ball out of Shannon's hands, bouncing the ball off the senior's legs and out of bounds, giving possession back to the Boilermakers. The steal was one of Morton's game-high four. Brandon Newman had three steals.

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"Obviously a pretty high-leverage situation at that point of the game," Morton said. "There's 30 seconds left. ... I knew it was low shot clock and Brandon did a great job of not letting (Shannon) get a straight-line drive (to the basket). He kind of pushed him off that seam a little bit, and he gave me enough room to give it a good swipe."

Purdue's connected team defense forced 15 Illinois turnovers leading to 23 points for the Boilermakers. The defense helped preserve the lead, but Illinois erased a 24-point deficit and nearly stole the game from the hosts. Purdue held Illinois to 1-of-8 shooting from 3 in the first half. The 3-point shots that missed the mark in the first half started falling in the second. Purdue did its best to contest the treys, but the Illini are a great tough-shot making team.

Purdue's active hands and aggressiveness in the passing lanes set the tone early and closed the door late. On Illinois' opening possession of the game, Newman intercepted a Shannon pass and took it the other way for two. Purdue forced four turnovers in the first three minutes of the game, taking a quick 11-0 lead. Purdue threw the first punch in its Big Ten regular-season finale and Illinois needed an entire half to regroup and respond.

"We've seen that (pressure) from multiple teams, I'm not sure it was as much their defense just our inability and panic — we never settled down," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said.

"The first play of the game, we've run 100 times. ... That's a pretty big problem. When we're not disciplined enough to run stuff and we can't let a little ball pressure bother us."

Newman's return to the starting lineup has provided a boost on both ends of the court. The junior from Valparaiso is often tasked with guarding the opposition's best offensive player the entire length of the court. He's not afraid to get physical, and his hard-nosed defensive plays ignite the crowd and swing momentum back to his team.

Morton moved to bench in favor of Newman, but he too plays with a toughness that's endearing to the home crowd and his teammates. Morton credited Newman's toughness and positive attitude for providing the blueprint on how to make an impact on the game when coming off the bench.

"We talked about you gotta sacrifice and (stuff) isn't always fair," Morton said. "I wish Brandon could play 40 minutes a game. For him to play the way he's played really the whole season but especially the past few weeks, I just couldn't be happier for him.

"I've learned so much from him just how he's been able to handle himself through the ups and the downs. He's just been an unbelievable leader and an unbelievable person for us."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball: Key defensive stops lead to win over Illinois