PDF: Purdue-Illinois statistics
More: Purdue bounces back with sharp defensive effort
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One of the smallest guys on the floor got the ball rolling, then the two biggest finished the job.
Carsen Edwards' personal 10-0 first-half run separated Purdue from Illinois, then Isaac Haas' and Caleb Swanigan's combined 42 points from there on out carried the 21st-ranked Boilermakers to a 91-68 romp over Illinois.
After Purdue made three early threes to start the game, the Boilermakers' combustible rookie guard went on one of those runs, one of those bursts unique to him, the sort of bold stretch he generally offers distinctly uninteresting explanations for.
"I just try to focus on defense," Edwards said, "and the offense will come."
It did.
Edwards' first three caromed off the rim, bounced to about eye level with the shot clock, then fell through the rim. His next one was a transition three set up by a picturesque skip pass through traffic from Dakota Mathias. Then came two layups off aggressive drives to the basket, the sorts of shots he's been inconsistent in finishing this season but did in this case to cap his run of nine straight points.
"It went his way," Purdue coach Matt Painter said, underscoring the tendency for success to breed success for his team's young guard.
Then, everything went Purdue's way.
Purdue's early three-point barrage, "gave us confidence and allowed us to get our heads up," Haas said of the domination on the interior that followed.
While the Boilermakers played one of their better defensive games of the season — Illinois shot just 40 percent, a number boosted by plenty of garbage-time scoring — Purdue's big men went wild.
Haas was a matchup impossibility Illinois never had an answer for. He abused its mostly one-on-one coverage for 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including at least three second-half dunks, as Purdue's passing shredded Illinois in the half court.
"My mentality was to score every time," Haas said.
Swanigan, too.
"It was Illinois' game plan to not double the post," he said. "You could hear Coach (John) Groce yelling for them to just pressure the ball."
Swanigan partook, too, in the single coverage. He finished with 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting after enduring a 1-for-6 first half. He also got back in the double-double column, finishing with 10 boards.
Purdue made five threes in the opening six minutes against the Illinois, then turned loose the Big Ten's most formidable pair of big men to take it from there, illustrating perfectly the damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't sort of dynamic so many coaches who've faced Purdue this season have discussed.
"Not very often is there a guy out there around those big guys that can't shoot," Groce said. "It's pick your poison."
At the end of the night, Illinois had tasted both.
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