Purdue flattens Chicago State 93-49

Isaiah Thompson scored 17 points, Evan Boudreaux added 14 and Purdue used a stifling defense to roll past Chicago State 93-49 on Saturday.  

The Boilermakers (2-2) snapped a two-game losing streak.  

Chicago State was led by Xavier Johnson with 12 points. Andrew Lewis scored 11 for the Cougars (1-3), who lost their third in a row and fell to 0-51 all-time against Big Ten foes as a Division I team.   The clear difference Saturday was defense.  

After allowing Chicago State to hang around most of the first half, Purdue swung the game by closing out the first half on a 13-0 run -- forcing five errant shots and five turnovers in the final 4:56.  

The Boilermakers were even better in the second half. When the Cougars scored the first basket, Purdue answered with 16 straight points over a span of 5:20, extended the lead to as much as 49 and never gave Chicago State another chance.  

BIG PICTURE  

Chicago State: Coach Lance Irvin's team will be undersized and overwhelmed against most power-conference schools. But the Cougars fought hard, stayed close for 15 minutes and gave Purdue everything it could handle in the first half. They just need to figure out how to trade jabs for 50 minutes.  

Purdue: The lopsided score hides the fact that the Boilermakers again struggled to get in sync offensively. They can rely on defense, size and rebounding for most of the nonconference schedule but they need to become more consistent on offense to establish themselves as a Big Ten contender.  

STAT SHEET  

Chicago State: The Cougars scored 28 points in the first half falling six points short of equaling their final total from their first road game this season. ... After shooting 45.8% in the first half, they were just 28% from the field in the second half and finished at 36.7%. ... The Cougars are 0-4 all-time against Purdue.   Purdue: Aaron Wheeler had 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. ... Jahaad Proctor added 13 points. ... The Boilermakers had a 25-6 advantage in points off turnovers after forcing 17. ... Purdue has won 24 games by 30 or more points since 2015-16. ... Purdue improved to 17-4 in in-season tournaments with its opening victory in the Emerald Coast Classic.  

UP NEXT  

The Cougars will attempt to end their losing streak Tuesday when they host Purdue-Northwest.  

Purdue gets a full week to find solutions before hosting Jacksonville State next Saturday.