WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. --- Jerome Hill (Adel, Ga.) poured in a game-high 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting, including 3-for-5 from downtown, as Tyler Strange (Leominster, Mass.) added a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists to lead Gardner-Webb to a nail-biting 89-84 come-from-behind victory over Purdue on Monday night.

The win marks Gardner-Webb's (8-5) first victory over a Big Ten school since 2005 when the Runnin' Bulldogs defeated Minnesota, 73-72. Gardner-Webb shot 55.4 percent from the floor on the night, including a 64 percent clip in the second half, while knocking down 14-of-25 from behind the arc.

Purdue (8-5) won the battle on the glass by a 41-27 margin, including an 18-8 advantage on the offensive boards, while outscoring the Runnin' Bulldogs by a 54-32 mark in the paint.

Hill led all scorers with 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting, connecting on 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, including his first career trey. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward also grabbed nine rebounds to move into fourth on the program's all-time list.

Strange added 18 points with a 6-for-9 night from the field, including a 5-for-6 clip from three, while dishing out a game-high 10 assists. With his 18-point night, Strange moves within three points of the 750-mark for his career.

Jarvis Davis (Columbia, S.C.) and Tyrell Nelson (Charlotte, N.C.) chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively, while Adonis Burbage (Orlando, Fla.) and Isaiah Ivey (Georgetown, Ky.) each tallied five points.

Raphael Davis led the way for Purdue with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, as Jon Octeus and Bryson Scott each added 13 points of their own. Isaac Haas and A.J. Hammonds both chipped in 12 points, while Hammonds recorded a game-high three blocks to go along with seven rebounds.

The Boilermakers came out firing in the first half, opening an early 15-3 lead on a steal and a bucket by Davis with 15:19 left in the period. Gardner-Webb battled back with nine of the next 15 points, trimming the margin to 21-12 on back-to-back threes from Hill and Poston at the 12:01 mark.

Burbage would cut the lead further with a trey of his own moments later, pulling the Runnin' Bulldogs to within six at 21-15 with 11:01 left in the half. Gardner-Webb kept pushing, closing the gap to 33-29 on a clutch three by Ivey before Octeus answered for Purdue with a trifecta of his own with 4:06 to go.

Hill responded with a three of his own, knocking down his third of the night to pull the Runnin' Bulldogs within two at 36-34, before Burbage banked home a layup with three seconds left to knot the score at 38-38 heading into the break.

The Runnin' Bulldogs carried the momentum into the second half, taking their first lead of the night on an early three by Strange which kicked off a 13-7 run to open the period, and propel Gardner-Webb a 51-45 advantage following a Davis trey on the break. After Nelson knocked down a jumper from just inside the arc Davis connected again, this time from the corner to push the Gardner-Webb lead to 56-45 with 13:09 to play.

Gardner-Webb would push the advantage to 18 with another 15-8 run, which was capped by a nifty drive and lay-in by Strange with 8:15 left on the clock. Purdue responded on both ends of the floor, employing the press and forcing the Runnin' Bulldogs into several turnovers while also converting on the offensive end to cut the lead to 78-75 with 2:25 to go.

Strange quickly answered with a clutch three-pointer, pushing the margin back to six before Hill connected on four free throws to give the Runnin' Bulldogs an 86-79 lead with 20 seconds left. Purdue refused to go down without a fight, suffocating the inbound and converting a trio of free throws within the next eight seconds to trim the margin to 86-82.

Scott put the Boilermakers back within two on the ensuing inbound, knifing in for the steal and feeding Smotherman for the jumper with nine seconds left. Harold McBride (Bronx, N.Y.) responded in the clutch moments later, knocking down 3-of-4 at the line, including two with less than a second left, to seal the victory for the Runnin' Bulldogs.

Gardner-Webb returns to the court following the Christmas holiday when the Runnin' Bulldogs make the short trip to Clinton, S.C. to open their Big South Conference slate against Presbyterian College on New Years Eve. The game will air live on the Big South Network and tip off at 6:00 pm.