Now that Purdue has its first victory of the season, a 76-59 triumph over Illinois State on Monday, the Boilermakers will look to start stacking wins.
Their next chance will come Friday night against Ohio in West Lafayette, Ind., in a non-conference matchup.
The Boilermakers (1-2) made shots and dominated the boards in their first win. Daniel Jacobsen scored a game-high 20 points on just eight field-goal attempts, and Purdue earned a 30-17 advantage in rebounding.
Coach Matt Painter pointed to a couple of lineup changes, specifically inserting Jack Benter at forward. He had 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.
“His ability to pass, his ability to stretch the defense … I would say more than anything that our two best passers are him and Antione (West),” Painter said.
West also was a starter and supplied 17 points, going 7-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-4 from 3-point range. As a team, the Boilermakers made 26 of 46 shots from the field, including 8 of 19 from beyond the arc.
While Purdue aims for consistency, Ohio (2-0) will vie for an attention-getting win. The Bobcats opened with an 86-77 road victory over South Alabama on Nov. 2 and an 80-70 home win over North Carolina A&T last Saturday.
Javan Simmons and reserve Che Brogan each scored 18 points against the Aggies for Ohio, which made 50.9% of its shots from the field and owned the boards 42-29. That was enough to overcome 15 turnovers.
“It was fun to get out there and get a win,” Simmons said. “We’re just going to keep stacking. We came out a little sluggish, but we figured out a way to get the win. That’s what it’s about — finding a way to win.”
The Bobcats have been picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference. Guard Jackson Paveletzke is averaging 15 points a game to lead six players in double figures. He also averages 6.5 assists.
–Field Level Media
