National Basketball Association
Purdue 109, McNeese St. 65
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, November 11, 2016
Where: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana
Officials:
# Bill Ek, # Donnie Eppler, # Courtney Green
Attendance:
13523
By The Sports Xchange
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- This certainly wasn't the best opponent No. 15 Purdue will play during the non-conference portion of its schedule, but the Boilermakers veteran front line of forwards Caleb Swanigan and Vincent Edwards and center Isaac Haas was as good as advertised during Friday night's opener.
Swanigan had 23 points and 20 rebounds, including 17 and 10 during an impressive first half Friday night, leading No. 15 Purdue to a 109-65 victory over McNeese State.
Haas added 22 points and six rebounds, Vince Edwards had 19 points and 11 rebounds and freshman guard Carsen Edwards contributed 18 points.
Swanigan joined Blake Griffin and Ben Simmons as the only college players in the last 10 years to have at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and five assists in one game. Swanigan had six assists.
The visiting Cowboys (0-1) made seven first-half 3-pointers and raced to a 19-14 lead with 10:16 left but, led by Swanigan and Vince Edwards, who added 11 points, nine rebounds and two assists during the first 20 minutes, the Boilermakers (1-0) used a 22-3 run beginning with an Edwards field goal with 9:39 left to turn a five-point deficit into 36-22 lead.
Edwards capped the game-deciding run with a 3-pointer with 4:54 to play in the first half.
"We needed to get the momentum going and moving our way," Swanigan said. "We knew we came out a little slow. It helped when McNeese State went hard and crashed the boards, because I was going against a guy half my size. I should get every rebound then."
Swanigan and Edwards each declared for the NBA Draft in March but withdrew in time to retain their college eligibility.
"Biggie did a really good job sparking us when we were a little dead out there," Vince Edwards said. "Five guys getting in double figures ... that's just sharing the ball and having fun as a team."
Purdue outrebounded the Cowboys 59-28 and assisted on 23 of its 39 field goals.
Purdue coach Matt Painter didn't like his team's start but loved the finish.
"Caleb is getting a lot of assists which means he is becoming a complete player," Painter said. "Once we fell behind, there was a stretch when it seemed like he got every rebound. McNeese State played with more energy at the start, and we were careless. But Caleb got us going, and then Vince Edwards got off to a great start in the second half when we showed our balance."
Purdue outrebounded McNeese State 32-15 during the first 20 minutes, including 11 offensive rebounds. The Cowboys shot only 28.9 percent from the field in the first half (11 of 38), although they were 7 of 13 from beyond the arc.
"When Swanigan came out with a lot of passion, that really got us going," said Haas, who made 9 of 11 field goal attempts. "It was inspiring for us. It was really good for the rest of the guys because then everybody started playing harder."
Richard Laku led McNeese State with 16 points.
NOTES: Purdue improved to 11-1 in season openers in coach Matt Painter's 12th season, losing only to Bucknell 70-65 on Nov. 9, 2012. ... Purdue has been ranked in the Associated Press' Top 25 for 20 consecutive weeks, the nation's 10th longest current streak. ... The Boilermakers played without three scholarship players -- reserve F/C Jacquil Taylor, who is recovering from ankle surgery, reserve F Basil Smotherman (marijuana use) and reserve G Ryan Cline (marijuana use). ... Purdue assistant coach Greg Gary was a McNeese State assistant during the 1997-98 season. ... This was the third time in four seasons McNeese State opened the season against a Top 25 team -- at No. 19 LSU last season and at No. 2 Michigan State in 2013-14. ... Among the Cowboys' five starters, three are from Texas and two are from Louisiana.
Top Game Performances
| McNeese St. |
|
Purdue |
|
Kalob Ledoux 16 |
Scoring |
Caleb Swanigan 23 |
|
Jamaya Burr 4 |
Assists |
Caleb Swanigan 6 |
|
Howard Thomas 8 |
Rebounds |
Caleb Swanigan 20 |
|
Jamaya Burr 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Caleb Swanigan 9 |
|
Jacob Ledoux 3 |
Steals |
Carsen Edwards 2 |
|
James Harvey 1 |
Blocks |
Isaac Haas 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| McNeese St.
|
65 |
31.2 |
8-33 |
9-10 |
13 |
25 |
2 |
6 |
10 |
| Purdue
|
109 |
55.7 |
9-23 |
22-31 |
23 |
56 |
4 |
7 |
14 |
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