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No. 7 Purdue Tops St. Joseph’s In Paradise Jam Semis
Jajuan Johnson poured in 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as seventh-ranked Purdue pulled away in the second half for an 85-60 win over Saint Joseph’s in the semifinals of the Paradise Jam.
Ryne Smith scored 16 for the Boilermakers (3-0), who advanced to play 10th- ranked Tennessee in the championship game Monday night. The Volunteers turned back DePaul, 57-53, in the other semifinal.
E’twuan Moore had 11 points and Mark Wohlford 10 for Purdue, which held a 54-30 scoring advantage over the final 20 minutes.
Ahead by only a 31-30 count at the break, Purdue started the second half with a huge 23-3 spurt. Moore’s jumper capped the spurt for the dominating 54-33 cushion with under 12 minutes remaining. The Boilermakers pushed their lead to as high as 31 points in the closing minutes.
Garrett Williamson had 12 points, but also accounted for eight of the 23 turnovers for the Hawks (2-1), who went 9-of-24 from the field in the second half. Idris Hilliard and Bryant Irwin each had nine points in defeat.
Williamson’s jumper extended the Hawks’ lead to 18-9 early, but Purdue came charging back and eventually gained a one-point lead at the half courtesy of Moore’s 1-of-2 performance at the foul line in the waning seconds.
Saint Joseph’s and Purdue hadn’t met since 1971, when the Hawks won an 85-74 decision…Purdue finished 42.3 percent from the field and went 8-of-24 from beyond the arc….Robbie Hummel added nine points and nine rebounds for the winners.
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