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No. 4 Purdue Looks To Stay Perfect Against Valpo
West Lafayette, IN (Sports Network) - JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore scored 19 points apiece, as fifth-ranked Purdue remained undefeated by blasting Valparaiso, 86-62, at Mackey Arena.
Robbie Hummel had 15 points with three of his four field goals coming from beyond the arc. Moore knocked down 5-of-6 three-point attempts, while Johnson added seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Keaton Grant chipped in 10 points for Purdue (8-0), which has won seven of their eight games by double digits. The one exception being a one-point victory over nationally-ranked SEC stalwart Tennessee on November 23.
Brandon Wood had game-highs of 21 points and nine rebounds for Valparaiso (3-6), which has faced four ranked opponents already this season and fell to 23rd-ranked Butler on Saturday. Cory Johnson contributed 11 points, five steals and four boards in the loss.
The Boilermakers jumped all over Valpo to open the game, scoring 22 of the first 25 points.
After a pair of Cory Johnson free throws for the Crusaders around the 11- minute mark, Purdue used an 8-0 spurt to gain a commanding 30-8 lead on a Chris Kramer three-point play with eight minutes left.
Wood scored seven straight Valpo points to help cut into the deficit, but a pair of three-pointers from Moore kept the margin significant at 21 with 5:44 remaining.
Another triple by Moore dropped for a 20-point game with 1:07 to go and two JaJuan Johnson free throws allowed for a 47-25 lead at halftime.
Purdue came out fast and furious to start the second half as well, scoring the first 10 points and pushing its lead to 32 on a Hummel trifecta three minutes in.
The Crusaders put together a nice stretch to limit the damage with a Michael Rogers deuce and subsequent three-pointer making it a 63-41 game.
But the Boilermakers proved too strong an opponent as Grant’s steal and resulting coast-to-coast layup put the hosts up 72-43 with 9 1/2 minutes to play.
Valparaiso was never in a position to seriously challenge the lead from there.
The Crusaders can also count losses to then-No. 6 North Carolina and No. 2 Michigan State among its early-season matchups with ranked opponents...Purdue has won 13 of the 15 all-time meetings with Valpo, including a 59-45 decision over the Crusaders last season...The Boilermakers connected on 10-of-22 three- pointers and shot 52.7 percent from the floor overall...Matt Kenney scored nine points for Valpo, which shot 42.2 percent from the field...Kramer had seven points, seven rebounds and three steals for Purdue.
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