Purdue 81, Western Illinois 67: Freshman forward A.J. Hammons led four double-digit scorers with 15 pointsas the host Boilermakers pulled away from the Leathernecks to advance to Monday's College Basketball Invitational quarterfinals against Santa Clara.
Purdue (16-17) was also helped by freshmen guards Ronnie Johnson, who scored 14, and Rapheal Davis, who added 12. Junior guard Terone Johnson (10 points) and senior forward D.J. Byrd, who shot 3-for-5 from deep, combined for 19 points.
Senior forward Don McAvoy III scored 16 points to lead Western Illinois (22-9), which lost consecutive games for just the second time this season. Sophomore guard Remy Roberts-Burnett had 15 points, and junior center Michael Ochereobia and junior forward Adam Link each chipped in 12.
The Leathernecks led for a majority of the first half, but Ronnie Johnson's layup five minutes before the break gave the Boilermakers the lead for the duration. Purdue's lead grew to double figures when Byrd hit a 3-pointer to make it 54-42 with 12:33 to go.
The Boilermakers shot 58.5 percent, including 7-of-11 shooting from 3-point range.
GAME NOTEBOOK: This was Purdue's first College Basketball Invitational game. … Boilermaker coach Matt Painter is tied with Ray Eddy for third place on the program's all-time wins list with 176. … Purdue improved to 13-0 all-time against Summit League teams, including five wins over Western Illinois.
Western Illinois | Purdue | |
Don McAvoy III 16 | Scoring | A.J. Hammons 15 |
Adam Link 5 | Assists | Terone Johnson 5 |
Adam Link 5 | Rebounds | Dru Anthrop 6 |
Don McAvoy III 4 | Free Throws Made | Sandi Marcius 4 |
Adam Link 2 | Steals | Dru Anthrop 3 |
N/A | Blocks | A.J. Hammons 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Western Illinois | 67 | 50.0 | 7-15 | 8-12 | 15 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 10 |
Purdue | 81 | 58.5 | 7-11 | 12-13 | 19 | 25 | 3 | 7 | 12 |