Purdue crushes NIU 96-34

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — So far, so good for this Robbie Hummel comeback.

The senior forward scored 21 points to help Purdue defeat Northern Illinois 96-34 Friday night in the season opener for both teams.

It was Hummel’s first regular-season game since he tore the ACL in his right knee in February 2010. He made 5 of 7 3-pointers in 20 minutes as Purdue rolled to the third-largest margin of victory in school history and the largest since 1911.

Hummel said he’s starting to feel normal.

“I feel like I’m getting close,” he said. “I only played 20 minutes tonight, so it’s not like it was a 36-minute, down-to-the-wire game. That will come as the season goes on and we get further and further into the year.”

Northern Illinois coach Mark Montgomery was impressed.

“It was nice to see Robbie Hummel come out,” he said. “I wasn’t hoping he would be this good.”

Purdue rededicated Mackey Arena during the first regular-season game since the facility was updated as part of a $100 million renovation project. It also was the first game on the new floor, which was replaced after flooding during the offseason.

Purdue forced 28 turnovers and held the Huskies to 25 percent shooting in its 18th straight home win.

“I thought the NBA was on strike,” Montgomery said, referring to the current NBA lockout. “We ran into a good team. I thought Purdue’s pressure defense took us out of some things we were trying to do. Their defense initiates their offense.”

Tim Toler scored 11 points for Northern Illinois.

Hummel was one of Purdue’s best players during the 2009-10 season before the injury. He had high hopes after surgery, but he reinjured the knee in preseason practice last year and missed the 2010-11 season. He was Purdue’s top scorer in exhibition play this year, averaging 13 points and 5.5 rebounds despite playing just 31 minutes in the two games combined.

He looked fluid and confident on the knee on Friday.

“I was just looking to get back out there and, I guess, get back into the flow and start playing again,” he said.

Purdue coach Matt Painter said he has been careful with Hummel in practice, but he wanted to give him enough minutes Friday to offer a true test.

“I knew he would play in the 20s somewhere,” Painter said. “I didn’t want to put him back in there when we got a big lead in the second half.”

Purdue lost top scorers JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore to the NBA draft, but the Boilermakers replaced their production from the 3-point line — making 14 of 28 from beyond the arc against Northern Illinois.

Kelsey Barlow had 14 points and three steals and Anthony Johnson and Terone Johnson both scored 12 points for Purdue.

Hummel scored Purdue’s first points of the season with a 3-pointer that ignited the sellout crowd. The Boilermakers jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held Northern Illinois scoreless for more than three minutes to start the game. A 3-pointer by Anthony Johnson pushed the lead to 18-2 just over six minutes into the game.

Terone Johnson scored a fast-break layup, was fouled and converted the three-point play to give Purdue a 26-8 lead.

Hummel scored 11 points in the first half, then hit two 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the second half to put Purdue up 55-24, and the Boilermakers’ lead swelled from there.

Painter was encouraged by the way the Boilermakers finished the game.

“A lot of times when guys get a big lead, they don’t play the right way,” Painter said. “I thought guys stayed within what we were trying to do.”