Johnson scores 21 as No. 6 Purdue beats Iowa 63-40 for 7th straight win

Johnson leads No. 6 Purdue past Iowa

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — JaJuan Johnson had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 6 Purdue beat Iowa 63-40 on Saturday for its seventh straight win.

E’Twaun Moore had 11 points and Chris Kramer anchored the defense with four steals for the Boilermakers (21-3, 9-3 Big Ten).

Johnson was held to six points in the first meeting with the Hawkeyes, a 67-56 Purdue win in Iowa City.

Cully Payne scored 11 points and Jarryd Cole had 10 for the Hawkeyes (9-17, 3-10). Matt Gatens, Iowa’s top scorer this season, finished with three points on 1-of-10 shooting.

Iowa was trying to build momentum after beating Northwestern 78-65 in its previous game. Instead, the Hawkeyes shot 30 percent and posted their lowest point total of the season.

It was the fewest points Purdue has allowed in Big Ten play and its largest victory margin in a conference game.

Purdue took control early with a 7-0 run during a 5½-minute stretch in the middle of the first half to take a 23-12 lead.

A flurry of steals ignited an 11-0 Purdue surge. Moore finished it in the open court by driving to the paint, taking off on both feet, pulling the ball back, then hesitating briefly in mid-air before dunking hard with his right hand to give Purdue a 34-15 halftime lead.

The Boilermakers shot 50 percent in the first half and held Iowa to 25 percent shooting.

Iowa shot well in the early minutes of the second half and a 3-pointer by Brennan Cougill cut Purdue’s lead to 39-28.

Purdue responded quickly. A three-point play by Hummel highlighted a 12-1 run that gave the Boilermakers a 51-29 lead. The Boilermakers held the Hawkeyes without a field goal for nearly 7 minutes during that stretch.