My final Christmas duties of the 2010 holiday are being fulfilled, so I'm unable to do a full-sized recap. But here's my synopsis.
The Boilers started off hot as Smith, Moore and Johnson led Purdue to a very early 14-2 lead. UM stormed back by hitting a ton of threes while Purdue got cold. After Beilein's squad took the lead briefly, Purdue regained a five point lead before the half...and never relinquished it.
BTN's big brain, Tim Doyle assured viewers a back and fourth, tight game in the second half. Of course he was way off base as Purdue started the second half putting on a 3-point clinic of their own. Once the dust settled on the barrage, Purdue was up by nearly 20 points and UM had nothing left. Our Boilers could have won by 30 had they continued to play at a high pace, instead, they settle for a mere 23-point BT road victory.
If it's possible, Moore had a quiet 21pt 9reb 4asst 2stl day. He had a couple very long threes and continues to play great defense.
JJ was monstrous as UM couldn't stop him and he kept hitting free throws (10/10). He had 22pts 8reb 3blk.
Ryne Smith was huge all day. Gone was the pump fake and in its place was three pointer atop three pointer. He nearly matched his career high as he finished with 17 points on 5/6 from behind the line.
LewJack had 6ast 4pts 4ast...that, and on-ball defense is his role, in my mind. And finally, TJohn was a fourth scorer (how's that taste, BTN??) as he looked like he had his legs under him for the first time in a while. He finished with 10pts 5reb 4ast.
Next up, NU brings its zone and backdoor cuts to Mackey at noon on Friday.
Good start to the BTN season...but there's still room for improvement. The defense has to get more consistent, and I'd still like to see Bade, Marcius and Carroll become fixtures on the glass.