Purdue’s three seniors put a stamp on their legacy in West Lafayette with a convincing 80-56 win over Penn State.
Robbie Hummel, Lewis Jackson, and Ryne Smith played their final game in Mackey Arena, Wednesday, and could not have gone out on a better note.
“It was about as perfect as you could have drawn it up, because we were able to kind of get a nice little lead and coast home” said Hummel. “It was a lot of fun.”
Hummel had a game-high 26 points and eight rebounds. Jackson added 12-points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting night and five assists. Smith scored all nine of his points from downtown connecting on 3-of-6 three’s to lift the Boilers to their third consecutive win.
“It reminded me of the old days, Purdue basketball,” said Jackson. “We did a great job rebounding, pushing the ball, and then being efficient on offense. It just seemed like the tradition of Purdue basketball like we’ve been doing for four years here.”
It was the seniors’ night, but a junior and sophomore also stepped up to help Purdue to its fifth win in six games. D.J Byrd scored 14-points and Terone Johnson added 13. Byrd has scored in double figures in six straight games and Johnson in five of six.
“I thought (Terone) got us off to a good start in the game,” said Purdue head coach Matt Painter. “D.J Byrd, whether he is playing the three or the four, really stretches the defense. His ability to shoot the basketball and be consistent in that area has really helped, obviously, in the last half of conference play.”
The Boilermakers put together one of their most efficient offensive games of the season. They shot 65-percent in the second half, including starting the final 20-minutes on an 11-0 run. For the game, Purdue shot 57-percent from the field and had 21-assists on 27-field goals. But, it was their defensive effort that helped them balloon a five point halftime edge.
“I thought our guys were ready to play the start of the second half and then we just built off that,” said Painter.
Despite 24-points from Tim Frazier, Purdue held Penn State to 45-percent shooting as a team and forced 13 Nittany Lions turnovers. Penn State only had ten assists.
Purdue also dominated the glass. The Boilers held Penn State to just 17 rebounds, while pulling down 31 of their own.
“I thought we did a better job of fighting them and getting loose balls and getting those long rebounds,” said Painter. “I just think our guys are playing better together and it’s really coming out in our point totals and decision making.”
The Boilermakers feel like they are peaking at the right time. After sitting on the NCAA tournament bubble since the start of 2012, Purdue put together its best play in late February.
The Boilermakers recent turnaround is a testament to their most veteran players.
Hummel, Jackson, and Smith each received rousing ovations during a ceremony following the win over Penn State. The applause was in honor of their productive careers, but no stretch of their time in West Lafayette may be more impressive than the past several weeks.
The Boilermakers have blown double-digit second half leads and the team had to suspend one of it players for a game and kicked another one out of the program. But, the Boilermakers’ elder statesmen put it on their shoulders not to let their team and legacy fall to adversity.
“Guys are finally just settling in to do what they do,” said Jackson. “Everybody is playing to their strengths. We know what guys want to do. We are moving the ball better. We're not getting frustrated when things are getting taken away and it’s just more fluent on offense. Everybody trusts each other to make the right decision.”
Purdue wraps up its regular season Sunday on the road at arch-rival Indiana. The Hoosiers landed the first punch in the season series with a 17-point win at Mackey on February 4th. But, that was a different Boilermakers team. That team was consistently inconsistent. The IU loss was Purdue’s wakeup call and they will travel to Bloomington with renewed confidence that resonates from the Boilermakers senior class.
“Hopefully we can carry over what we’ve been doing these past couple of games into the tournament, especially at Indiana. It’s going to be a huge game that’s obviously the next thing we are going to think about,’ said Smith. “We just have to carry over (the momentum). That’s the biggest thing right now.”