It finished 12 for 31 from long range, while the Aggies missed each of their 15 attempts from beyond the arc.
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Every time he has pulled on a Purdue jersey, Caleb Swanigan has grabbed double-digit rebounds and scored double-digit points.
Britt, a junior, finished 6 for 9 from the field and tied his career high by making 4 of 6 3-point attempts, while Berry added three 3s while taking the bulk of the point guard duties with Paige out.
“They were contesting the inside, but I was doing my role and keeping them occupied”, said Haas, who added three blocked shots. “That opened shots for my teammates”.
Purdue coach Matt Painter has said Hammons had “business he needs to take care of” and would not play until those unspecified obligations were met. Painter said after Friday’s game that Hammons’ status had not changed.
Purdue’s scoring was balanced even without Hammons, who also didn’t play in a November 8 exhibition.
Stephens and Haas scored 11 points each in a 60-point first half.
Nigel Hayes, limited to 5 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, added 14 points for the Badgers (1-1).
Haas, coming back from a slight wrist injury, made 6 of 7 free throws en route to 12 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
“We watched a lot of film on those guys, and they liked to use the bounce a lot”, Edwards said. “We need to be patient. Kendall really got us going, but it is going to be important for us to continue to have that balance of inside and outside”. Also, the team is now a pretty ridiculous 30-for-67 from 3-point range despite the interior-heavy nature of their attack. The 6-foot-9 power forward stole the ball at one end, led the break, went behind the back to split two defenders and kicked out to Rapheal Davis, who made a 3 in the corner.
Bruce Beckford led the Aggies with nine points. Here’s the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Purdue’s performance. “They went on a 24-4 run, and for all practical purposes, that was the game”.
Purdue: Purdue improved to 97-21 all-time in season openers… Painter will not discuss the specifics of the early-season benching. Purdue is 22-17 all-time against North Carolina-based opponents. Swanigan has already been celebrated as Robinson’s successor as he was the first Indiana Mr. Basketball to commit to the Boilers since Big Dog.
Speaking of Swanigan, he became the first Purdue freshman to record a double-double – 11 points and 11 rebounds – in the season opener.
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North Carolina A&T visits Florida on Monday.
