Purdue 69, Eastern Michigan 64: Freshman Bryson Scott had 16 points in his first start as the host Boilermakers remained undefeated at home.
Kendall Stephens added a career-high 13 points for Purdue (8-2) and A.J. Hammons chipped in eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Scott hit 9-of-10 free throws in the final three minutes but Purdue made just 23-of-38 foul shots as a team.
Karrington Ward led Eastern Michigan (5-3) with 25 points, knocking down four 3-pointers. Glenn Bryant went 3-of-3 from the floor for 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Stephens hit a 3-pointer to start a 13-3 run for a 29-20 lead and Purdue led by as many as 11 early in the second half. The Eagles rallied with a 12-3 run - started by a Ward 3-pointer - to get within 47-45 midway through the second half.
Terone Johnson hit a long 3-pointer with just over five minutes left after Eastern Michigan cut the lead to a point and Scott's steal and layup pushed Purdue's advantage to 57-52 with about four minutes left. Ward followed with another 3-pointer before Purdue hit enough foul shots - 12-of-16 - to hold on.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Ward had 14 of Eastern Michigan's 29 first-half points. ... Purdue's Ronnie Johnson had two points, snapping his streak of 13 straight games in double figures. ... Purdue started four freshmen - Scott, Stephens, Basil Smotherman and Jay Simpson - for the first time since 2007.
Eastern Michigan | Purdue | |
Karrington Ward 25 | Scoring | Bryson Scott 16 |
Darell Combs 2 | Assists | Bryson Scott 5 |
Glenn Bryant 9 | Rebounds | A.J. Hammons 7 |
Glenn Bryant 5 | Free Throws Made | Bryson Scott 10 |
Anthony Strickland 2 | Steals | Bryson Scott 3 |
Glenn Bryant 1 | Blocks | A.J. Hammons 4 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Eastern Michigan | 64 | 42.0 | 7-21 | 15-21 | 9 | 33 | 1 | 8 | 20 |
Purdue | 69 | 40.0 | 6-21 | 23-38 | 13 | 28 | 5 | 10 | 14 |