Johnson scores 25 as No. 4 Purdue tops No. 6 West Virginia 77-62 in game between unbeatens

No. 4 Purdue beats No. 6 West Virginia 77-62

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — JaJuan Johnson had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 4 Purdue beat No. 6 West Virginia 77-62 on Friday in a matchup of unbeatens.

Robbie Hummel scored 18 points and E’Twaun Moore added 15 for the Boilermakers, whose largest lead was 26 points.

Purdue (13-0) completed its nonconference scheduled and is one of five unbeaten teams in the nation. The Mountaineers (11-1) were bidding for their first 12-0 start since the 1957-58 season.

Purdue handled West Virginia’s star guard combination of Da’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks. Butler scored 17 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Ebanks scored 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting.

Purdue led 37-32 at halftime and outscored West Virginia 14-2 in the first 3:26 of the second half to take control.

Moore opened the second half with a mid-range jumper and was fouled on a 3-pointer on Purdue’s next possession. He missed the first free throw, made the second and missed the third, but dunked his miss one-handed to put the Boilermakers ahead 42-32.

Back-to-back dunks by Johnson and Keaton Grant pushed the lead to 46-34 two minutes into the second half. The Boilermakers continued the attack with a 3-pointer by Ryne Smith and a long by Hummel to push the lead to 51-34.

The Boilermakers made 10 of their first 12 field goals in the second half and shot 59 percent after the break.

Butler pushed Purdue’s Chris Kramer out of bounds on the sideline midway through the first half, hard enough for the crowd to chant “throw him out.” He remained in the game, but the already deafening Purdue crowd cranked the noise up another notch. Johnson made two free throws to give the Boilermakers a 17-12 lead before Butler responded with a 3-point play, then a tip-in to tie the score.

Purdue’s suffocating defense began causing trouble for the Mountaineers late in the first half. At one point, West Virginia committed turnovers on three consecutive possessions. The defensive surge fueled a 13-0 run during a five-minute stretch that gave the Boilermakers a 32-20 lead.