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Preview: Purdue vs. Siena
Purdue has played two great halves at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla., just not in the same game. The Boilermakers on Sunday will get a final opportunity to put it together at the tournament when they meet Siena in a rematch from seven days earlier, when Purdue beat the visiting Saints 81-73. The Boilermakers held Washington State to 22.2 percent shooting in the first half Friday, but the Cougars shot 65.5 in the second half while blowing by to win 69-54, and the day before they outscored No. 8 Oklahoma State 58-45 in the second half, but couldn’t make up the 52-29 hole from the first 20 minutes.
Purdue guard Bryson Scott has reached double figures in scoring in five straight games but continues to show signs of being a freshman. He committed five turnovers and shot 4-for-13 against Washington State, a day after putting up 15 shots in 18 minutes against Oklahoma State and making just five. Purdue is well-covered in its starting backcourt with brothers Ronnie and Terone Johnson, so look for the Boilermakers to continue picking their spots with Scott.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, N/A
ABOUT PURDUE (5-2): Another freshman who’s gaining notice for the Boilermakers is 6-5 wing Kendall Stephens, who has worked his way into the starting lineup and is quietly shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point range. Stephens’ father, Everette Stephens, was a 1,000-point scorer in his four-year career at Purdue and helped the Boilermakers win the Big Ten title and earn a top seeding at the 1988 NCAA Tournament. Stephens showed his loyalty to the school when he accepted the scholarship offer not long after it was delivered.
ABOUT SIENA (2-6): The Saints will have a better chance against Purdue if leading scorer Rob Poole can find his stroke. After shooting 3-for-15 and 0-for-5 from 3-point range against Memphis, it looked like he located his rhythm when he sank his first three 3s against Saint Joseph’s, but Poole went on to miss the next three and finish 3-for-11 from the field. Poole is the only Siena player averaging double figures in scoring, so he either needs to get rolling or someone else needs to step up.
TIP-INS
1. Of the Purdue players who have attempted more than two free throws, only Scott at 72.1 is shooting better than 69 percent.
2. Purdue 7-0 sophomore A.J. Hammons, the second-leading scorer (10.6) last season, grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds against Washington State but went scoreless for the first time in his college career, dropping his scoring average to 6.8.
3. Siena had 29 offensive rebounds against Memphis and 17 against Saint Joseph’s.
PREDICTION: Purdue 79, Siena 61
