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Recap: Purdue 69, Eastern Michigan 64
Purdue 69, Eastern Michigan 64: Freshman Bryson Scott had 16 points in his first start as the host Boilermakers remained undefeated at home.
Kendall Stephens added a career-high 13 points for Purdue (8-2) and A.J. Hammons chipped in eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Scott hit 9-of-10 free throws in the final three minutes but Purdue made just 23-of-38 foul shots.
Karrington Ward led Eastern Michigan (5-3) with 25 points, knocking down four 3-pointers. Glenn Bryant went 3-of-3 from the floor for 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Stephens hit a 3-pointer to start a 13-3 run for a 29-20 lead and Purdue led by as many as 11 early in the second half. The Eagles rallied with a 12-3 run – started by a Ward 3-pointer – to get within 47-45 midway through the second half.
Terone Johnson hit a long triple with just over five minutes left after Eastern Michigan cut the lead to a point and Scott’s steal and layup pushed Purdue’s advantage to 57-52 with four minutes left. Ward followed with another 3-pointer before Purdue hit enough foul shots – 12-of-16 – to hold on.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Ward had 14 of Eastern Michigan’s 29 first-half points. … Purdue’s Ronnie Johnson had two points, snapping his streak of 13-straight games with double figures. … Purdue started four freshmen – Scott, Stephens, Basil Smotherman and Jay Simpson – for the first time since 2007.
