Johnson, Moore get No. 4 Boilermakers back in form to hold off SIU-Edwardsville 90-63

No. 4 Purdue holds off SIU-Edwardsville 90-63

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — JaJuan Johnson scored 16 points and E’Twaun Moore added 15, leading No. 4 Purdue past SIU-Edwardsville 90-63 on Tuesday night.

The Boilermakers (11-0) matched the second-best start in school history and the longest winning streak under coach Matt Painter. The 1936-37 Boilermakers were 11-0 and the 1993-94 Boilermakers started 14-0.

SIU-Edwardsville (2-10) lost its fourth straight, all by at least 15 points. Mark Yelovich had 23 points for the Cougars, who are in the second year of a 4-year transition to Division I.

But this was not a typical Purdue game.

The Boilermakers’ patented defense struggled early against a team that was making just 30.3 percent of its 3-point attempts in its first 11 games. On Tuesday, the Cougars made three of their first four from beyond the arc, a shooting display that had them within 22-20 midway through the first half.

That’s when Johnson and Moore started taking control.

Johnson, a junior center who grabbed six rebounds, started Purdue’s flurry by posting up for a dunk that shook the backboard, then hit a 17-footer and blocked a shot that led to two free throws by Chris Kramer. That made it 33-22 with 7:24 left in the half, and Johnson’s teammates took the cue.

Moore followed with a steal, then drove in for an acrobatic dunk — a rare display of pizazz from a team known for its ability to grind out victories.

The combination changed everything.

Over the final 5½ minutes of the first half, Purdue forced six turnovers, blocked two shots and did not allow a basket, closing the half on an 11-0 run against the fatigued Cougars to make it 48-28.

SIU-Edwardsville quickly got itself back in the game early in the second half, using an 11-2 run to make it 52-39 with 15:25 left.

But Moore’s tip-in started an 11-5 run that gave Purdue a 63-44 lead. The Boilermakers closed it out with a 16-3 run that made it 79-49.

Keaton Grant had 13 points and Robbie Hummel 12 for the Boilermakers, who do not play again until their Big Ten opener at Iowa on Dec. 29.