CHICAGO — Rapheal Davis pulled A.J. Hammons aside, and told the 7-foot center it was time for him to step up. Fortunately for Purdue, Hammons was already on his way to a big game.

Hammons scored 23 points on 7-for-10 shooting, and the rugged Boilermakers wore down Penn State in the second half of a 64-59 victory in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday.

“He was a game changer on both ends of the floor,” Davis said. “I’ve been telling him since we were younger, `You can change games whenever you want to.’ I went out and told him that it’s time to take over. You can see by his numbers he was a big factor in today’s game.”

Asked about Davis’ message, a grinning Hammons said the conversation had no effect on him, leading to a chuckling postgame exchange between the juniors.

“I’m not trying to take away from Ray, but no, it didn’t inspire me,” Hammons said. “I heard what he said, but ... “

“I was just in the moment. I was in the moment,” Davis jumped in. “I’ve been around A.J. so long, I know when to say things to him and when not, and I knew at that point in time he wasn’t listening, I just wanted to talk to somebody.”

Davis added 13 points as Purdue advanced to the tournament semifinals for the first time since it won the title in 2009.

Hammons also had nine rebounds, leading a strong effort on the glass that helped the Boilermakers play keep away during a key stretch in the second half.

Next up for Purdue (21-11) is a rematch with top-seeded Wisconsin, which advanced with a 71-60 victory over Michigan.

The Boilermakers lost 62-55 to the Badgers on Jan. 7.

“I think what we learned is the same thing we knew before. They’re really, really talented,” Boilermakers coach Matt Painter said. “They can hurt you in a lot of ways.”