Loyola is no match for focused Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue's youngsters took their first hard college basketball lesson to heart. Now, they'll see if they're ready for the big boys.
Four days after a surprisingly close call against Lipscomb, Purdue beat Loyola 84-53 on Saturday.
E'Twaun Moore, who led the Boilermakers with 18 points against Loyola, said Purdue had the wrong attitude during the 66-62 win over Lipscomb on Tuesday.
"We didn't come out prepared to play the game, and it definitely gave us a wake-up call," he said.
Purdue coach Matt Painter said he saw more intensity against Loyola.
"I thought we had a better approach," he said. "They did a better job of preparing themselves."
Painter knows there will be games like the one against Lipscomb, especially with a team that plays four freshmen regularly. He hopes they learned quickly because the Boilermakers play at Clemson on Tuesday in the ACC/Big Ten challenge.
Painter said the Tigers are athletic and will pressure his guards. That, combined with a road atmosphere, will provide a different challenge.
"They have to understand the beast we're getting ready to battle," Painter said.
The freshmen were the stars against Loyola. Moore was the top scorer. Scott Martin had 15 points; Robbie Hummel had 11 points and eight rebounds; and JaJuan Johnson had 10 points, five rebounds and four blocks.
Another newcomer, Nemanja Calasan, scored seven points in his first action for Purdue. The junior from Srbinje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, was ineligible for the first two games because of club games he had played there.
"I thought he did a good job," Painter said. "I thought he was going to foul out and shoot it every time he touched it, and he didn't."
J.R. Blount scored 17 points and Ross Forman added 11 for Loyola (2-2).
The Boilermakers (3-0), who shot 60 percent from the field and forced 19 turnovers, are off to their best start since the 2003-04 season.
Moore made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Purdue a 39-28 halftime lead. It was the second time in three games Moore hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half.
Purdue made 4-of-8 3-pointers before the break. All nine Purdue players who saw action in the first half scored, but none had more than seven points.
Purdue quickly extended the lead in the second half. Moore made a 3-pointer with 14:26 to play that gave Purdue a 51-33 lead and forced a Loyola timeout.
A dunk by Johnson on a feed from Chris Kramer gave Purdue a 64-44 lead with 8:50 to go.
Purdue forced 19 turnovers and outrebounded the smaller Ramblers 26-25. Painter wasn't too concerned with the slight rebounding edge because the Boilermakers had 10 fewer turnovers than Loyola.
"I think you always have to combine your turnovers and rebounds," he said. "There's your possessions. There's your balance."
Painter said Clemson will provide a better gauge of how good his team is.
"I think anytime you get a chance to play someone who's ranked in the country on their floor -- I think it's going to be good for us," he said. "We have to be a better basketball team after that game."