Purdue sinks further with loss to Illinois
By SAM KLEMET
ISL Correspondent
Purdue’s eight-game win streak against Illinois ended with a thud.
The Boilers were routed at Assembly Hall, 79-59 on Wednesday, for their fourth loss in five games. Illinois avenged its January 2 loss at Mackey Arena with a commanding effort.
On a night when leading scored Brandon Paul scored just three points, the rest of the Illini roster chipped in. Seven different players scored at least eight for John Groce’s club, led by D.J. Richardson, who scored a game-high 18.
He was joined in double digits by Tracy Abrams (13 points, seven assists) and Tyler Griffey (12 points, six rebounds). Joseph Bertrand fell one point shy of double figures, but grabbed 12 rebounds.
Bertrand led Illinois’ dominance on the glass, but it was a true team effort. The Illini outrebounded Purdue 44-34, including 20 offensive boards.
Purdue, meanwhile, had 17 turnovers and just nine assists, making it easy to understand why coach Matt Painter let his anger get the best of him. He was ejected late in the game for arguing with the officials, but the frustration probably stemmed from the inconsistent play of his now 12-13 team.
Terone Johnson led Purdue with 18 points. D.J. Byrd got back on track a bit. He and A.J Hammons both scored 10 points. But as a a team, the Boilers shot just 37 percent from the field. Even though they held Illinois to 42-percent shooting, it seemed as though after every miss, the Illini got the ball back and got an even better shot, scoring 23 second chance points.
Illinois has won three straight and is starting to piece together a nice March resume.
The Boilers are back under .500 and as a reward get the nation’s top-ranked team – Indiana – on the road, Saturday.
