PDF: Purdue-Western Illinois stats
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Purdue's won games this season with shooting and it's won games this season with defense.
But Monday night against overmatched Western Illinois, it was the Boilermakers' foremost identity that loomed largest, literally.
Caleb Swanigan finished with 21 points and 21 rebounds and Isaac Haas scored 18 points and pinned fouls on the Leathernecks in bulk as the 15th-ranked Boilermakers exerted their size in every way, shape and form, routing the Leathernecks, 82-50.
Swanigan was the game's dominant figure, as has often been the case this season, pacing a Purdue effort on the glass which it won 51-29.
His 15 defensive rebounds tied Brad Miller's single-game school record set in 1998. It was Swanigan's second 20-point, 20-rebound output of the season.
"It's the mindset I have every game," said Swanigan, the Big Ten's reigning Player-of-the-Week. " … You have to go (for the ball) every time and that's what I try to do every game."
Purdue is bigger and more physical around the basket than most every team it faces. Some games it matters more than others.
Monday, it mattered.
"When you have players like that just going after every rebound," Haas said, "it's kind of demoralizing for the other team."
It seemed to be for the Leathernecks, who missed 42 shots — finishing at 31 percent for the game — and generated just six second opportunities.
Meanwhile, Western Illinois was called 22 fouls. Twelves on Haas' 18 points came from the foul line. He drew at least six fouls before the nine-minute of the first half. He shot his 12th free throw of the game at the 8:44 mark of the first half.
"We keep coming in waves. We're used to it because we practice against each other," Swanigan said. "You can't simulate size like me and Isaac, not for 40 minutes. Maybe the first five to 10 minutes, it's not as bad, but as the game wears on, it just wears on your body."
Western Illinois allowed Purdue clean post entries, both big men said, and they resulted in clean looks for both players early. But both struggled to finish in the game's opening minutes.
But with Haas continuing his parade to the foul line — and making them — put kept the Leathernecks at arm's length, until Western started dropping threes and got within five of Purdue with 6:15 left in the first half.
Coming out of a timeout, then, P.J. Thompson hit Swanigan in the post for an and-one, Dakota Mathias nailed a jumped, Vincent Edwards scored on a post-up, Swanigan scored off Thompson's offensive rebound and Thompson buried a three-pointer. The 12-0 Boilermaker run gave them a 39-22 lead and ultimately a 14-point lead at halftime.
That lead peaked at 32 during a mostly procedural second half in which Purdue opened its scoring with a one-handed dunk by Haas followed by a bucket by Swanigan, as the Boilermakers leaned again on its foundation.
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