Vikings Fall at #18 Purdue, 77-53

Vikings Fall at #18 Purdue, 77-53

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –  Bobby Word scored 14 points and Rob Edwards had 10 points and nine rebounds, but #18 Purdue built a first half lead en route to a 77-53 win over Cleveland State on Saturday afternoon at Mackey Arena.

The Vikings had their two-game win streak snapped and fell to 3-6, while Purdue improved to 8-2.

STAT LEADERS

  • Word tied for game high honors with 14 points, while Edwards grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.
  • Jibri Blount finished with seven points, while Kasheem Thomas tallied eight points and six assists.
  • Evan Clayborne grabbed five rebounds and Derek Sloan recorded three steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Purdue scored the first seven points of the game, but the Vikings pulled within 10-6 early in the contest.
  • A 9-2 run allowed the Boilermakers to open up a 19-8 advantage at the 11:29 mark, but a Jamarcus Hairston three-pointer got CSU within eight (19-11) on the next possession.
  • CSU was still within nine points (29-20) after an Edwards three-pointer with 5:17 left in the half, but Purdue scored the final 12 points of the half to take a 41-20 lead at halftime.
  • CSU opened the second half on a 13-6 run – including seven points from Word – to cut the Purdue lead to 47-33 five minutes in.
  • However, Purdue scored the next 10 points to open up a 57-33 lead with 13 minutes to play.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

  • Today was the 49th all-time game against a ranked opponent for CSU, including the second this season (Kentucky).
  • After falling behind at the half, the Vikings hung tough with Purdue over the final 20 minutes as the Boilermakers outscored CSU, 36-33.
  • Purdue used its height advantage to claim a 44-34 advantage on the boards. The Boilermakers also scored 32 points in the paint.
  • CSU committed 14 turnovers, while the Boilermakers had 15.

UP NEXT

  • The Vikings are off this week for final exams and will return to action next Saturday (Dec. 17) with a 2:00 pm contest at Ohio.
  • CSU returns home to host Lake Erie on Monday (Dec. 19) at 7:00 pm in the Wolstein Center.