By Bud L. Ellis
Midway through the second half of Friday’s South Regional semifinal, the Purdue Boilermakers were down just three points to Duke.
But from that point on, the Boilermakers ran out of gas. Duke and their big three scorers took advantage, pulling away as Purdue saw its season come to an end in a 70-57 defeat to the Blue Devils in Houston in the NCAA Tournament.
JaJuan Johnson scored a team-high 23 points and led Purdue (29-6) with five rebounds. Certainly the absence of Robbie Hummel, who has been out since last month, was noticed on this night against the talented Blue Devils, the No. 1 seed in the South.
Still, the Boilermakers hung tough. Purdue trailed only by three points at halftime and kept the game tight for the first 30 minutes. But down 42-39 at the midpoint of the second half, Purdue couldn’t keep Duke in check any longer, getting outscored 28-18 the rest of the way.
Purdue shot just 37 percent and struggled inside against the bigger Blue Devils. Purdue came in having won 15 out of its past 17 games.
—30—
Friday, March 26, 2010 at 11:41 pm by bud
Tags: Duke, JaJuan Johnson, NCAA Tournament, Purdue Boilermakers, Robbie Hummel
By Bud L. Ellis
Friday night, the Purdue Boilermakers aim for their 30th victory of the season. A win, though, would mean so much more.
Purdue takes on Duke in the South Regional semifinals in Houston. A win would send the Boilermakers to the Elite Eight, where Purdue would play Sunday for a trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis next weekend.
While Duke, the top seed in the South and a prohibitive favorite to make it to Indy, is the favorite in may eyes, Purdue has more than a puncher’s chance. The Boilermakers are one of the hottest teams in the nation coming into this one, having won 15 of their past 17. In NCAA Tournament victories over Siena and Texas A&M (in overtime), Purdue has shown time and time again it can make the big plays in the pressure-cooker of March.
Both teams are allowing just 61.0 points per game. That’s the key for Purdue, to keep Duke’s offense from getting on track. Should Purdue do that, the Boilermakers have a chance to win game No. 30 …
And get a shot at winning No. 31. Two more wins, and Purdue reaches the Final Four for just the third time in program history (1969, 1980).
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Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 10:51 pm by bud
Tags: Duke, Final Four, NCAA Tournament, Purdue Boilermakers, Siena, Texas A&M
By Bud L. Ellis
Chris Kramer decided he would take things into his own hands Sunday afternoon. Good thing for Purdue the standout was so assertive.
Kramer drove the lane and scored with 4.2 seconds left in overtime, sending Purdue past Texas A&M 63-61 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Spokane, Wash.
Purdue (29-5) advanced to the Midwest Regional semifinals Friday in Houston against Duke. The Blue Devils best bring their physicality with them, as the Boilermakers left bruises all over Texas A&M.
Down 11 in the second half, Purdue rallied to pull even at 55-55. The Aggies had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but B.J. Holmes couldn’t convert at the buzzer to force overtime.
Kramer led Purdue with 17 points and seven rebounds. JaJuan Johnson scored 11 points and D.J. Byrd added 10. The Boilermakers held Texas A&M to just 35.4 percent shooting from the floor.
—30—
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 7:42 pm by bud
Tags: B.J. Holmes, Chris Kramer, D.J. Byrd, Duke, JaJuan Johnson, NCAA Tournament, Purdue Boilermakers, Texas A&M
The No. 6 Purdue Boilermakers got back on track with a 74-55 pasting of the Indiana Hoosiers.
Purdue used their stingy defense to jump out to a 13-point lead by halftime and never looked back.
Playing without injured star Robbie Hummel for the second straight game, Indiana was a little easier on them than Michigan State was.
E’Twaun Moore led the Boilermakers with 21 points and has quickly become their main scoring threat.
Chris Kramer added 18 points, six assists and three bounds and JaJuan Johnson finished with 14 points.
Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 12:09 am by steve
