@BoilerBall 75, Ohio State 64 Purdue rallied in front of an electric Mackey arena crowd to equal its best 20-game start in the last 28 years
Mackey Arena was electric last night for Purdue's Hammer Down Cancer game. The Paint Crew was given "Volt" color T-shirts to wear and the atmosphere showed why Mackey Arena provides the best atmosphere in college basketball.
P.J. Thompson scored 12 points with three steals, one assists and one rebound in 23 minutes. He connected on two of the biggest shots of game late in the second half to help Purdue pull away late.
Thompson only dished out one assist, but had zero turnovers. He now has a jaw-dropping 55 assists against 10 turnovers in 425 minutes of action.
"We knew we were right there and if we could buckle down and get some stops we felt we we’re going to keep the pressure offensively. We were going to get what we want. It was just a matter of time." -- P.J. Thompson
Thompson also hounded the Buckeyes defensively, helping hold 6-5 point guard JaQuan Lyle to two points (on a pair of free throws) and four turnovers in 28 minutes. In the second half, Kam Williams (who had 14 in the first half) was held scoreless while going 0-of-2 from the field.
Thompson is 1-of-4 players nationally to have 20 or more steals and 10 or fewer turnovers.
- P.J. Thompson (Purdue) -- 20 STL, 10 TO, 425 mins
- Austin Loop (Marshall) -- 20 STL, 9 TO, 567 mins
- Isaac McGlone (E. Kent.) -- 21 STL, 8 TO, 565 mins
- Rashaun Madison (NC Cent.) -- 20 STL, 9 TO, 369 mins
A.J. Hammons became the 7th player in Purdue history with 800 career rebounds. He now has 801 during his career.
Hammons is now 1-of-4 players in Big Ten history, and the first to do it in 23 years, with 1,300 points, 800 rebounds and 300 blocked shots.
- A.J. Hammons (Purdue; 2013-present) -- 1,342 pts, 801 rebs, 304 blks
- Acie Earl (Iowa; 1990-93) -- 1,779 pts, 811 rebs, 365 blks
- Herb Williams (Ohio St.; 1978-81) -- 2,011 pts, 1,111 rebs, 328 blks
- Joe Barry Carroll (Purdue; 1977-80) -- 2,175 pts, 1,148 rebs, 349 blks
The center tandem on A.J. Hammons and Isaac Haas dominated the Buckeyes to the tune of 26 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists against one turnover in 40 minutes of action. The duo went a combined 10-of-18 from the field.
Vince Edwards continued his aggressive play with 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 29 minutes of action.
Edwards has scored in double figures in three straight games, averaging 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds during that span -- coincidentally, Purdue has a 3-game winning streak.
The Boilermakers are now 16-3 in 19 career games when Edwards scores 10 or more points, including 9-0 this year.
Vince Edwards had a highlight-producing dunk in the first half on a breakout. He is now closing in on 500 career points (needs 17), and will start his 50th career game on Sunday against Iowa. He has totaled 483 points, 264 rebounds, 145 assists and 22 blocks and steals in just 53 career games.
Caleb Swanigan tallied 10 points with 10 rebounds, giving him four straight double-figure scoring games. He is averaging 11.8 points and 9.5 rebounds during that span. He has recorded back-to-back double-doubles (12 pts, 13 rebs vs. Rutgers) for the third time this season.
Swanigan's 7 double-doubles are now tied with Russell Cross (1980-81) for the most by a Purdue freshman in school history.
- Caleb Swanigan (2015-16) -- 7
- Russell Cross (1980-81) -- 7
- Joe Barry Carroll (1976-77) -- 6
- Wayne Walls (1974-75) -- 4
- Five Players -- 3
His 7 double-doubles lead the Big Ten and are the fifth most by a freshman nationally.
- Ben Simmons (LSU) -- 14
- Henry Ellenson (Marquette) -- 10
- James Thompson IV (Eastern Michigan) -- 10
- Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV) -- 8
- Caleb Swanigan (Purdue) -- 7
- Ivan Rabb (California) -- 7
- Dedric Lawson (Memphis) -- 7
Swanigan's 179 rebounds are the fourth most nationally for a freshman and rank 7th on the Purdue freshman rebounds list.
- Joe Barry Carroll (1976-77) -- 206
- Walter Jordan (1974-75) -- 205
- A.J. Hammons (2012-13) -- 204
- Russell Cross (1980-81) -- 202
- Robbie Hummel (2007-08) -- 201
- Brian Cardinal (1996-97) -- 182
- Caleb Swanigan (2015-16) -- 179
"When you get in close games, you have to find stops. We know our offense will get there as long as we don’t turn ball over. We took care of it a lot better than we had in tough games, and that's the reason we were able to win this game." -- Caleb Swanigan
Johnny Hill also had an outstanding game with eight points, two assists and two rebounds in 18 minutes. He hounded the Buckeyes on the defensive end, helping hold the Big Ten's co-Freshman of the Week JaQuan Lyle to two points on 0-2 shooting. Hill has turned into one of the Big Ten's best defensive players.
Ryan Cline made just one 3-pointer against Ohio State, but it was a big one that gave Purdue a 53-52 lead with 9:04 to play. The Boilermakers would not relinquish the lead after that shot.
