WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Purdue committed 15 turnovers and shot only 40 percent from the field, but still managed to beat Akron 75-66 Saturday.

Carson Cunningham scored 17 points and Brian Cardinal had 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Purdue (No. 21 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP).

"We were very happy to win the game, of course," Boilermakers coach Gene Keady said. "We had a gut-check and that's what the coaches thought it would be."

Jimmal Ball scored 24 points and Jami Bosley had 18 for Akron (3-2).

The game was tied at 64 when Cardinal's layup with 1:27 remaining put Purdue (3-2) ahead.

Akron's Andy Hipsher missed a jumper at the other end and Mike Robinson was fouled after grabbing the defensive rebound. A pair of free throws by Robinson gave the Boilermakers a 68-64 advantage with 1:04 left.

Following a missed 3-pointer by David Falknor, Cornell and Cunningham combined for three free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the victory.

"We did not convert a couple of plays, took some bad shots and made a few bad decisions, and Purdue was able to take advantage of them," Akron coach Dan Hipsher said. "We were there most of the way, but we were not able to finish it out."

Purdue opened the game with 4-0 lead and appeared to be in control when a layup by George Phillips ignited a 13-0 Akron run that resulted in a 13-4 advantage.

Akron's aggressive defense forced four Boilermaker turnovers in the first five minutes of the contest. Akron led by as many as eight in the first half and maintained the lead 35-33 at halftime.

The Boilermakers opened the second half with a 10-2 run while building a 43-37 advantage. Akron answered with four 3-pointers, including two by Bosley during a five-minute stretch.

Bosley's second 3-pointer gave the Zips a 53-49 advantage with 9:28 remaining. The lead changed eight times before Cardinal's layup at the 1:27 mark.