Purdue squeaks past Indianapolis 80-73 in exhibition opener
From Purdue Athletics
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Senior guard Terone Johnson led five Boilermakers in double figures with 17 points and Purdue went on a 19-4 run to close the first half to ease past Indianapolis, 80-73, in front of 12,178 fans at Mackey Arena on Wednesday night.
The contest was the first of two exhibition games this year for the Boilermakers.
The Greyhounds jumped out to their largest lead of the game at 30-22 with 6:12 remaining in the first half when the Boilermakers went on a 19-4 run over the remainder of the half to take a 41-34 halftime lead. Three different players, Ronnie Johnson, Sterling Carter and Jay Simpson, all hit three-pointers in the run as Purdue turned its eight-point deficit into a seven-point lead.
The Greyhounds remained within striking distance at 55-51 with 11:21 to play, but Purdue used a 13-0 run over three-and-a-half minutes to take a 68-51 advantage with 7:58 to play. Five different Boilermakers scored during the run.
Indianapolis responded with a 16-5 run of its own over four-plus minutes to trim the Purdue lead to 73-67 with 3:33 to play, but could draw no closer as the Boilermakers coasted down the stretch to the seven-point decision, 80-73.
Here are some highlights:
Purdue shot just 25-of-64 (.391) from the field, 6-of-24 (.250) from three-point range and 24-of-35 (.686) from the free throw line. Both teams had 43 rebounds, while Purdue had just nine turnovers while forcing the Greyhounds into 13 miscues.
Indianapolis shot 27-of-60 (.450) from the field, 5-of-9 (.556) from three-point range and 14-of-26 (.538) from the free throw line. Purdue blocked 10 Greyhound shots, led by Travis Carroll and Kendall Stephens, each with three blocked shots.
Purdue sophomore Rapheal Davis had 13 points and four rebounds, freshmen Bryson Scott and Kendall Stephens each tallied 11 points and redshirt-freshman Jay Simpson scored 10 points. Scott added five rebounds and was 9-of-10 from the free throw line, while Stephens connected on 3-of-7 shots from behind the arc. Simpson would tally five rebounds and two assists.
Joe Lawson led UIndy with 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
The Boilermakers return to action on Monday night against Wayne State (Neb.) at 7 p.m. at Mackey Arena. It will be the final exhibition tune-up before the regular season begins Nov. 8 against Northern Kentucky.
Here are postgame interviews:
