Big Ten Network : Purdue Top Stories

Purdue to face Siena in first round

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:11:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men's basketball team earned its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament berth on Sunday night, garnering a No. 4 in the South Region from the selection committee. The Boilermakers will face Siena on Friday in first-round action in Spokane, Wash. The Boilermakers and the Saints will square off on Friday at Spokane Arena. Purdue has won 11-straight first-round games in the NCAA Tournament, having not lost its opening game in the Big Dance since 1993. After claiming a share of its first Big Ten title since 1996, Purdue will make its 24th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Boilermakers are 31-23 (.574) all-time in the tournament, with two Final Fours, three Elite Eights and seven Sweet 16s to their credit. In 2009, fifth-seeded Purdue advanced to the program's first Sweet 16 in nearly a decade. Sunday's announcement marks the first time in program history that the Boilermakers have been selected as a No. 4 seed, and Purdue's highest draw since garnering a No. 2 seed in 1998. Purdue has never played in Spokane, and is 2-1 all-time in the state of Washington. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions, Siena is led in scoring by senior forward Alex Franklin, who averages 16.3 points per game to pace a quartet of Saints who average double figures. Senior guard Edwin Ubiles averages 15.2 points per game, while junior forward Ryan Rossiter averages 13.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per contest. The Saints' offense runs through senior guard Ronald Moore, who averages 7.8 assists per game. Game time and ticket information will be updated when available.

Purdue hopes to prove experts wrong

Pete DiPrimio — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Suddenly Purdue is everybody's favorite NCAA tourney upset special, the highly seeded team picked most likely to lose before its time. Yes, the fourth-seeded Boilermakers have noticed. Some of this is due to the reputation of its first-round opponent –- 13th-seeded Siena, which is 27-6, has one of the nation's top point guards in Ronald Moore (guards are huge in postseason play) and which has upset Vanderbilt and Ohio State in opening-round games the past two years. Most of it comes from the perceived Purdue vulnerability from the loss of Robbie Hummel and the bad-as-it-could-be loss to Minnesota. Purdue is 27-5, finished 10th in the final AP poll, has won 13 of its last 15 games, has won its last 11 NCAA tourney first-round games, is the Big Ten co-champ and still has three standout players in E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson and Chris Kramer, plus decent depth, yet is being dismissed as easily as an Illinois-should-have-made-the-field protest. So of course the Boilers are ticked. They plan to show how much come Friday's South Region game in Spokane, Wash. "The best thing about it is we don't have to wait too long to prove them wrong," guard Keaton Grant said. "A lot of people say we won't go deep in the tournament. A lot of people have already counted us out in the first game." Such lack of respect has helped fuel Purdue's rise to Big Ten prominence. Could it fuel a Final Four run now? "Winning is not done on paper," Grant said. "It's done on the court." He paused. "On Friday we'll be ready to play." Losing Hummel was the major reason the selection committee dropped Purdue to a No. 4 seed instead of a No. 3. The Boilers are 4-2 without him. They've played two NCAA tourney teams in that span, Minnesota twice and Michigan State once. They rallied for a 59-58 win at Minnesota, then got hammered by the Gophers and Michigan State. In both losses their offense was atrocious –- 44 points against the Spartans, 42 against the Gophers. So the bad mouthing continues and the Boilers, at least for now, have to take it. "You can't say anything," Kramer said. "We haven't given anyone a reason not to write us off. We have to win. That's the only way to prove it. You've got to prove it on the court." Purdue knows what it can do if it plays to its potential, if it defends ferociously, rebounds aggressively and shoots accurately. It has spent the season proving it belongs among the nation's elite and to have CBS announcer Seth Davis imply that this might be the only No. 4 vs. No. 13 game where the 13th-seed is favored strikes a nerve. "You have to take it for what it's worth," Kramer said. "All we have to do is win basketball games and people will give us credit." The good news is that guard Lewis Jackson is expected to play Friday. He was injured Saturday when 6-11, 241-pound Ralph Sampson stepped on his surgically repaired left foot. X-rays were negative. Jackson, who missed 19 games following surgery to repair ligament damage, said the foot is sore, but he'll be fine. "It scared him more than anything," coach Matt Painter said. As far as playing the underdog to Siena, well, bring it on. "I take that as a big challenge that they pick Siena over us," Johnson said. "We'll be ready to play." Added Jackson: "This team is eager to show we belong. We need the respect we got during the (regular) season." ___ (c) 2010, The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.). Visit the News-Sentinel, at http://www.news-sentinel.com / Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com , call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. Copyright 2010 The News-Sentinel

Purdue takes down Evansville in 10 innings

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:32:00 +0000

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - After dropping four one-run games this season, the Purdue baseball team turned the tables in defeating host school Evansville 4-3 in 10 innings in the Dunn Hospitality Classic finale at Braun Stadium on Sunday. Trailing 2-0 through five innings, the Boilers (3-7) rallied to tie the game with a pair of runs in the sixth and, after trading runs with Purple Aces (6-10) in the ninth, clinched their first weekend "series" victory of the season with a lone run in the top of the 10th. Tied 3-3 after nine complete, Barret Arthur got the extra-inning rally started with a one-out double down the right field line. Barrett Serrato followed with an opposite field single to left to plate Arthur for the go ahead run and a 4-3 Purdue edge. Reliever Drew Wurdack (1-1), who picked up his first victory of the year with 1 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, worked around a leadoff walk in the home half of the 10th with a strikeout, a caught stealing and carom off of third baseman Cameron Perkins that went directly to Serrato at short for a game ending 6-5-3 groundout. Evansville opened the scoring in the second, plating a pair of runs off of Boiler starter Matt Jansen on a pair of hits and a Boilermaker error. Jansen, who did not earn a decision over seven solid innings, settled down and held the Aces scoreless over the next five frames. The senior southpaw left prior to the eighth allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits with three walks and 10 strikeouts. Offensively, Purdue took a while to get going in the game. Including a one-out single and caught stealing by Eric Charles in the first, the Boilers sent the minimum three hitters to the plate in each of the first five innings against Aces' starter Scott Scheumann. Scheumann, a freshman who started a midweek contest against Kentucky, finally ran out of gas in the sixth to pave the way for Purdue's bats to tie the game. Payton Bieker led off the sixth getting hit by Scheumann to reach with nobody out. A strikeout by Arthur was followed with a Serrato single through the right side of the UE infield and a walk to Jonathan Lilly that loaded the bases and forced the UE starter from the game. Charles, who finished the game 2 for 5, drove home, rudely greeted reliever Jake Naumann with a two-run double down the right field line to plate Bieker and Serrato and tie the game 2-2. Both teams plated runs in the ninth, the Boilers on an RBI single by Kevin Plawecki and the Aces answering with run-scoring grounder by Nate Smith that took a wicked hop over Charles' head an into right for a single. UE closer Tom Heithoff (1-2) was charged with the loss after allowing two runs on four hits in two innings of work. The Boilermakers will continue their eight-game spring break trip with a pair of games at Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday and Wednesday. First pitch for the opener against the Colonels on Tuesday is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.

Minnesota runs right past Purdue

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:50:00 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota held No. 6 Purdue to the worst first half in the Boilermakers' record books and rolled to a 69-42 victory in the Big Ten tournament semifinals Saturday. Ralph Sampson III scored 13 points for the sixth-seeded Golden Gophers (21-12), who reached the final for the first time. They'll play No. 5 Ohio State on Sunday for the championship. Minnesota led 37-11 at halftime. It was the fewest points by Purdue in a half since the school started keeping track in 1950. Only a late layup by Patrick Bade allowed the Boilermakers to avoid the worst defeat ever in a Big Ten tournament game. Colton Iverson scored 11 points and Devoe Joseph added 10 as Minnesota won its fourth straight and seventh of nine. Purdue beat Minnesota twice in the regular season. The Boilermakers had won 13 of 14 and avenged their only loss during that stretch Friday against Northwestern. JaJuan Johnson scored 17 points and D.J. Byrd added 11 for Purdue (27-5). The Golden Gophers shot 48 percent from the field and outrebounded the Boilermakers 50-26. Johnson shot 7-for-16 from the field, but his teammates were 9-for-42. The Boilermakers couldn't even score with no one guarding them, making just 8 of 18 free throws. Minnesota started the game with a 9-2 run. After a bank shot by Chris Kramer , the Golden Gophers went on a 17-0 spurt to take a 26-4 lead. E'Twaun Moore missed his first eight shots, but finally scored to end Minnesota's run. Purdue went more than 11 minutes without scoring. The Boilermakers barely reached double figures in the first half, getting there on a basket by Johnson. Minnesota shot 61.5 percent in the first half and held Purdue to 5-for-27 shooting. Eight different Gophers joined in the fun by scoring before halftime, while only three Purdue players scored. Moore, who tied a career high with 28 points in the quarterfinals against Northwestern, shot 1-for-12 in the first half. He hurt his left ankle on a drive with 18:21 left in the second half and was ineffective when he returned with 12:41 to play. As the game approached the final seven minutes, Minnesota turned it into a dunk-off. First Sampson, then Devron Bostick threw down two-handed power jams to give the Gophers a 58-28 lead. Lewis Jackson , Purdue's starting point guard, left the game with 6:21 remaining and was helped off the court, unable to put much pressure on his left leg.

Notre Dame shuts out Purdue

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:40:00 +0000

LAKEWOOD, Calif. -- Sunday was a great day for Notre Dame's Jody Valdivia. She hoisted the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to a 3-0 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers (8-11) at Mayfield Park. Valdivia kept the Boilermakers off the board during her seven innings of work. She allowed one hit, two walks and struck out nine. Part of the reason Valdivia pitched so well was her solid pitching with runners on base. She allowed no hits in nine at bats. Valdivia lost a no-hit bid in the seventh inning on a single by Jenna Alexander. It was the fewest runs scored by Purdue since their 10-0 loss to Arizona on Feb. 12. Heather Johnson drove in three Fighting Irish (16-5) runners. She went 3-3 at the plate. Johnson singled in the first inning scoring Sadie Pitzenberger and homered in the fifth inning scoring Katie Fleury. Notre Dame scored in two innings to claim the victory. The Fighting Irish scored one run in the first and two runs in the fifth. Suzie Rzegocki took the loss for Purdue. She went six innings, gave up three walks, struck out five, and allowed three runs. The Boilermakers best chance to score was in the sixth inning. After Liane Horiuchi walked the Boilermakers were trailing by three when Molly Garst came to the plate against Valdivia with one out and a runner on first, but she hit into a fielder's choice. Purdue's next game is on Wednesday, March 17 at New Mexico. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Purdue holds off Northwestern

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:30:00 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—E'Twaun Moore took advantage of his expanded role in Purdue's offense. The junior guard tied a career high with 28 points to help No. 6 Purdue beat Northwestern 69-61 on Friday night in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. Purdue improved to 3-1 without all-conference forward Robbie Hummel, who is out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee. Moore, also an all-Big Ten pick, filled in for some of Hummel's scoring by attacking the basket. He shot just 6 for 16 from the field, but he made 12 of 17 free throws. "I just tried to drive the ball strong until someone stopped me," Moore said. "I had to be patiently aggressive."" Purdue will play the winner between No. 11 Michigan State and Minnesota in a semifinal on Saturday. The Boilermakers remained hopeful of gaining a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. "I've said a 1 to a 3, no matter what happens in the Big Ten tournament and I'll stay with that," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "I don't think we're a 1 seed if we don't win it, but we're somewhere in there. To win it, and a team or two has to stub their toe, probably. If we don't win it, we're going to be a 2 or 3. In my opinion, that's what we deserve." Moore played a key role in allowing Purdue to remain a contender for a top seed by getting hot in the first half while his teammates struggled. He scored 16 points and shot 4 for 10 from the field in the first half while his teammates shot 4 for 17. Moore got help from JaJuan Johnson, who had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Boilermakers (27-4). Moore and Johnson were the only Purdue players who scored more than five points. John Shurna scored 16 points, Drew Crawford had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Michael Thompson added 12 points for the Wildcats (20-13). The Wildcats have never reached the NCAA tournament, and their chances took a hit with the loss. "That's not really for us to decide," Crawford said. "We're just going out here working hard everyday, working hard in practice. We do what we can on the court, but it's not for us to decide." Northwestern won the only regular-season meeting between the teams, and the Wildcats looked capable of pulling off another upset. The Wildcats held the Boilermakers to 35 percent shooting, and it took the Boilermakers until midway through the first half to reach double figures in points. "The key for us was just getting a win, not playing well at all," Purdue guard Chris Kramer said. Purdue led 62-58 in the final minute when Kramer turned the ball over on a fast break attempt. Northwestern quickly moved back the other way, and Jeremy Nash made a 3-pointer with 45.8 seconds left to make it 62-61. Kramer made up for his mistake with a layup on the other end. He was fouled and made the free throw with 36 seconds remaining to give the Boilermakers a 65-61 lead. "Nash came down and hit that pullup 3, and we took the ball out and we broke the press, got it to JaJuan and I was diving down the middle and JaJuan hit me," Kramer said. "I don't even know how the ball got up to the rim. I don't know how it went in either." Moore made 4 of 4 free throws in the final 15 seconds to close the game. Purdue missed 12 of its first 13 field goal attempts. The Wildcats made 5 of 6 3-pointers to take a 17-6 lead. The Boilermakers rallied behind Moore, and cut their deficit to 34-30 at halftime. "He killed us in the first half," Crawford said. "They were running a play where he was getting out to the corner and just kind of isolating. He hurt us a lot in the first half and then getting to the line a lot, as well. I think we could have defended him much better as a team." A three-point play by Keaton Grant in the opening minutes of the second half gave Purdue a 36-34 lead, its first of the game. The Boilermakers extended that advantage to 45-38 on a turnaround jumper by Johnson with 11 minutes remaining. "I think that first 10 minutes (of the second half) really was the difference," Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said. "Credit their defense. We just weren't able to score." Northwestern trailed 45-41 when the game took a dramatic swing. Johnson made a free throw, and Luka Mirkovic was called for an intentional foul for elbowing Kelsey Barlow in the chin while fighting him for rebounding position. Johnson made the second free throw, and Barlow made the free throw on the intentional foul. Purdue got the ball back, and Johnson was fouled and made two free throws to give the Boilermakers a 50-43 lead. Northwestern never led again. "We did a good job of keeping our composure and just staying in the flow of things," Johnson said. "It started working out for us in the second half."

Purdue pounds Buffalo, 9-2

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:07:00 +0000

LAKEWOOD, Calif. -- The Purdue Boilermakers finished off their 9-2 victory over the Buffalo Bulls (7-10) in emphatic fashion on Saturday. In the fifth inning, Terese Diaz gave up two runs on a Ashley Courtney double. Later that inning, runs came in when Liane Horiuchi flew out and Ashley Barr singled. It was the biggest victory for Purdue (8-10) since their 9-1 victory over Northern Illinois on Feb. 27. Horiuchi drove in two Boilermakers runners. She went 3-3 at the plate. In addition to her fly out in the fifth, Horiuchi singled in the fourth inning scoring Barr. Erika Petruzzi got the victory for Purdue. She allowed no runs over three innings. The freshman pitcher struck out none, gave up no walks and surrendered two hits. Diaz took the loss for Buffalo. She went four innings, gave up one walk, struck out two, and allowed eight runs. Buffalo got things going in the second and third innings. In the second, after Diaz reached on a throwing error by third baseman Molly Garst and Candice Sheehan hit into a fielder's choice, the game was tied when Kristin Waldron came to the plate against Julia Rice with two outs and runners on first and second. She singled scoring Kristen Gallipani from second. When Alyssa Ward singled, Taylor Franich walked and Jessica Griffin was hit by a pitch, the game was tied when Diaz came to the plate against Rice with one out and the bases loaded in the second. She hit into a fielder's choice scoring Ward from third. Purdue was unable to make good contact against Sharon Barr. The Boilermakers managed only two hits off of the senior pitcher. Barr allowed one earned run, one walk and struck out one during her three innings of work. Courtney and Barr helped lead the Boilermakers. They combined for four hits, four RBIs and three runs scored. Purdue's next game is on Sunday, March 14 at Notre Dame. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Purdue loses in offensive shootout

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:39:00 +0000

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Basepaths were burned at Charles H. Braun Stadium on Saturday as Morehead and Purdue put 17 runs on the board. The Eagles won the offensive battle 9-8 over the Boilermakers (2-7). The two teams combined for 27 hits, including three extra base hits in the game. It was the most runs scored by Purdue since their 18-2 victory over Southern Illinois on March 5. Morehead (7-10) starter Michael Bottoms struggled, allowing five runs in six innings, but the bullpen allowed three runs and the offense banged out 13 hits to pick up the slack and secure the victory for the Eagles. Payton Bieker drove in three Boilermakers runners. He went 3-5 at the plate. Bieker doubled in the sixth inning scoring Cameron Perkins and Eric Charles and homered in the eighth inning. Josh Schneider got the victory in relief for Morehead. The sophomore pitcher pitched two innings and allowed one run. Reliever Kevin Cahill took the loss for Purdue. He went two-thirds of an inning, gave up one walk, struck out none, and allowed two runs. J.D. Ashbrook, Daniel Pugh and Drew Lee helped lead the Eagles. They combined for seven hits, four runs batted in and six visits to home plate. Purdue's next game is on Sunday, March 14 at Texas State. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Purdue takes dramatic win over San Diego

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:28:00 +0000

LAKEWOOD, Calif. -- Molly Garst's walk-off single off of Jennifer Ellenbeck boosted the Purdue Boilermakers to a 6-5 victory over the San Diego Toreros (5-11) at Mayfield Park in the Long Beach State Invitational on Saturday. After Ashley Courtney singled and Liane Horiuchi reached on a fielding error by first baseman Megan Walsh, the Boilermakers (7-10) were trailing by one when Garst came to the plate against Ellenbeck with no outs and the bases loaded. She singled scoring Horiuchi from second and Aimee Gingerich from third, which gave the Boilermakers the lead for good. The Toreros were hurt by a number of miscues in the field. San Diego committed three errors which led to three runs for Purdue. The Boilermakers offense was spurred by a home run from Horiuchi in the fifth. Suzie Rzegocki got the victory for Purdue. She allowed five runs over seven innings. The junior pitcher struck out six, gave up four walks and surrendered seven hits. Ellenbeck took the loss for San Diego. She went six innings, gave up two walks, struck out four, and allowed six runs. Purdue's next game is on Saturday, March 13 against Buffalo in Long Beach, Calif. in the Long Beach State Invitational. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Purdue falls to Long Beach State

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:48:00 +0000

LAKEWOOD, Calif. -- The Long Beach State 49ers used a strong fourth inning to capture an 8-4 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers (6-10) on Friday at Mayfield Park in the Long Beach State Invitational. The 49ers (7-11) scored eight runs in the inning. In the inning, Suzie Rzegocki gave up one run when she hit Kristen Pocock with a pitch. Later that inning, two runs came in when Bridgette Pagano doubled and runs came in when Caitrin DeBaun grounded out, Ashley Levine walked and Ashley Weber, Liz Javier and Christina Schallig singled. Shelby Krammer had a good game at the plate for the Boilermakers. She went 1-4, scored one run and drove in one run. Krammer homered in the second inning. Long Beach State was unable to make good contact against Julia Rice. The 49ers didn't get a hit off of the freshman pitcher. Rice allowed no earned runs, no walks and struck out none during her 2 2/3 innings of work. Taylor Petty got the victory for Long Beach State. She allowed four runs over seven innings. The pitcher struck out eight, gave up three walks and surrendered six hits. Rzegocki took the loss for Purdue. She went 3 1/3 innings, gave up four walks, struck out three, and allowed eight runs. Purdue's next game is on Saturday, March 13 against San Diego in Long Beach, Calif. in the Long Beach State Invitational. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Purdue tops PSU for share of first Big Ten title since '96

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 13:57:00 +0000

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Purdue's fans came to Happy Valley ready to celebrate. After the final buzzer sounded Saturday, they held black and yellow placards that read in bold letters, "Big Ten Champs." JaJuan Johnson had 21 points and 10 rebounds and the No. 7 Boilermakers clinched a share of its first conference title in 14 years after holding off Penn State, 64-60. It's a victory all the more sweeter for the Boilermakers given top forward Robbie Hummel is out for the year with a right knee injury. "I'm supper happy we were able to come out here and get this win, especially for him," Johnson said. "Just for our team period just because we've been through a lot." Keaton Grant added 17 points for Purdue, while Chris Babb and Talor Battle each had 17 to pace Penn State. The Nittany Lions played the last six-plus minutes without Battle, and coach Ed DeChellis later said his star guard suffered from cramps. That made their late rally even more impressive after three foul shots by Babb got Penn State within 61-60 with 18 seconds left. The Boilermakers (26-4, 14-4) held on after E'Twaun Moore hit two free throws and Babb missed a potential tying 3 with 7 seconds left. The rebound skipped off teammate Tim Frazier's hands and went out of bounds. "We didn't panic, kept fighting and fighting and fighting, trying to get it to where we could steal the win," DeChellis said. "I thought we could give ourselves a chance again." But the play of Johnson and a poor-shooting first half, in which Penn State (11-19, 3-15) hit 31 percent, foiled the comeback. The Nittany Lions head into the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis as the last seed. Purdue has the second seed since conference co-leader Ohio State owns the tiebreaker. Getting this far, though, might be accomplishment enough for Purdue given they played without Hummel, the team's leading scorer and second-leading rebounder. "Guys could have folded," coach Matt Painter said. "You lose one of those major pieces and it's tough. ... You can't feel sorry for yourself." No wonder a large black- and yellow-clad Purdue contingent made the trip to the Jordan Center. Without Hummel, Painter's club regrouped to win its last two games, against the Big Ten's two worst teams in Indiana and Penn State. The Nittany Lions had closed an eight-point deficit to 58-55 with 2:45 left after a 3 by Babb and a layup by Andrew Jones. Moore had a subpar night shooting on 3 of 10 from the field, but hit a lucky shot after his straightaway 3 caromed off the backboard into the net to put Purdue six with a minute to go. It's these type of situations when Penn State turns to Battle, its do-everything leader. But with the guard out of the game, his teammates stepped up after Brooks dunked and Babb nailed all three free throws after getting fouled on a 3-point attempt to get to within 61-60. As in many of its previous losses this year, Penn State couldn't break through. It was their second straight last-minute defeat to a ranked foe after falling to No. 11 Michigan State 67-65 on Thursday. Brooks, who finished with 12 points and seven boards, chalked it up to a run of bad luck. "Maybe luck will swing our way in the tournament and we will be the ones out celebrating on the court," he said. Better interior defense might help, too. The 6-foot-10 Johnson proved to be a tough matchup for Penn State's big men with his mid-range jumper and ability to get to the foul line, where he hit 11 of 14 free-throw attempts. Now, Johnson is starting to think about bigger goals if they can advance far in the conference tournament without Hummel. "Especially a lot of teams now are at full strength or close to it, so we have a good showing against them maybe it will show the (NCAA) selection committee that we are deserving of a higher seed even without Rob."

Boilermakers take late victory over Dolphins

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:46:00 +0000

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Cameron Perkins brought home the go-ahead run to give Purdue the lead in the seventh inning and the Boilermakers hung on to beat LeMoyne 3-0 on Friday. After Eric Charles walked the game was tied when Perkins came to the plate against Jeff Tardiff with one out and a runner on first. He tripled scoring Charles from first, which gave the Boilermakers the lead for good. Eleven strikeouts helped Matt Bischoff get the victory for Purdue. He allowed no earned runs on five hits and no walks over eight innings. It was the fewest runs allowed by Purdue (2-6) this season. Barrett Serrato had a good game at the plate for the Boilermakers. He went 1-3, scored one run and drove in one run. Serrato singled in the seventh inning. Tardiff took the loss for LeMoyne (5-8). He went six innings, gave up two walks, struck out five, and allowed three runs. The Dolpins best chance to score was in the fifth inning. After Sean Paino singled, the game was tied when Zach Wiley came to the plate against Bischoff with no outs and a runner on first, but he hit into a fielder's choice. Purdue closer Calvin Gunter got the final three outs to pick up the save. Purdue's next game is on Saturday, March 13 at Morehead State. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Southern Illinois keep Purdue reeling

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 16:47:00 +0000

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Jimmy Cornell and three Salukis relief pitchers teamed up to shut down the Boilermakers as Southern Illinois won 6-2 at Abe Martin Field on Sunday. The four Southern Illinois (4-6) pitchers combined to allow 10 hits. Cornell was solid on the mound while bagging the win for Southern Illinois. He allowed one earned run over five innings. The senior pitcher gave up five hits while walking three walks and striking out four. Blake Pinnon drove in two Salukis runners. Pinnon homered in the fifth inning scoring Murphy. The Salukis scored all of their runs during a six-run fifth inning. In addition to Pinnon's home run, Matt Jansen gave up one run on a Chris Murphy double. Later that inning, two runs came in when Jordan Sivertsen singled and a run came in when Tony Lepore grounded out. Matt Jansen took the loss for Purdue (1-6). He went four innings, gave up two walks, struck out three, and allowed six runs. Purdue took the lead in the third inning. After Jon Moore doubled the game was tied when Eric Charles came to the plate against Cornell with one out and a runner on second. He singled scoring Moore from second. Then Cameron Perkins singled scoring Charles from third. Purdue's next game is on Friday, March 12 at Le Moyne. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Penn State men stay hot, drop Purdue

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 14:42:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The 42nd-ranked Penn State men's tennis team (10-1, 1-0) opened Big Ten play on Sunday with a 6-1 victory over the No. 65 Purdue Boilermakers at the Penn State Indoor Tennis Center. The Nittany Lions have won eight consecutive matches with two of the wins coming against ranked opponents. Penn State came out and grabbed the doubles point, winning all three matches. Two of the doubles matches were decided by two points. From there, the Lions went on to win five of the six singles bouts to secure a 6-1 victory. The Nittany Lions took an early advantage in doubles competition on court No. 2 when senior Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.) and freshman Warren Hardie (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) faced Purdue's P.J. Rose and Thomas Wilson. The Nittany Lion tandem got off to a great start as they led 3-0. Purdue threatened by winning two of the next three games, but Gormley and Hardie were able to hold them off in an 8-4 decision. In the No. 1 bout, junior Eddie Bourchier (Hobart, Australia) and sophomore Jason Lee (Melbourne, Australia) teamed up against Purdue's Branko Kuzmanovic and Slavko Bijelica. Bourchier and Lee held a 4-1 lead through the first five games, but Kuzmanovic and Bijelica rallied to tie it back up at four. The two tandems went on to exchange the next four points, resulting in a 6-6 score through 12 games. Lee and Bourchier finished strong though by winning the next two games and ending in an 8-6 victory. With Bourchier and Lee's victory, Penn State clinched the doubles point. With the doubles point already decided, senior Guillaume St-Maurice (Saint-Eustache, Quebec) and sophomore Taylor Cohen (Philadelphia, Pa.) faced Purdue's Eric Ramos and Paul Foley. The match went back and forth, as there were seven ties and four lead changes. With the match tied at seven though, St-Maurice and Cohen won the final two games to garner the 9-7 victory. With Penn State leading 1-0, the match moved to singles action. On court No. 2, Gormley picked up a straight-set 6-2, 6-4 victory over Rose to give the Nittany Lions a 2-0 lead in the overall match. With the victory, Gormley improves to 6-4 on the season and 3-1 when playing in the No. 2 position. In the No. 1 matchup, Bourchier took on Bijelica. With the first set tied at five, Bourchier won the final two games to go up a set. In the second stanza, the two were tied up at three. Bourchier went on another run, taking the final three games to earn a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Bijelica. With the victory, Bourchier improved to a perfect 9-0 for the 2010 season. Penn State had a 3-0 lead. Penn State clinched the match in the No. 4 bout, where Hardie took on the Boilermakers' Ramos. In the first set, Hardie jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. Ramos was able to cut Hardie's lead to 3-2, but the Penn State freshman went on to win three of the final four games to capture the first frame. Ramos then forced a third set by winning the second set, 7-5. In the third set, Ramos had a 2-0 lead. However, Hardie won the final six games to win his second consecutive three-set match. With the match already decided, freshman Bryan Welnetz (Laredo, Texas) earned his team-leading 10th victory of the season as he downed Foley, 6-3, 6-1. St-Maurice picked up a straight-set 6-1, 6-3 victory over Thomas Wilson in the No. 6 to win his seventh consecutive match. The overall match came to an end in the No. 3 bout, where Kuzmanovic defeated Lee in three sets, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. The Nittany Lions will head down south on March 11 for a dual with Coastal Carolina. Penn State will then travel to Montgomery, Ala. on March 18 for the Blue-Gray Tournament, featuring some of the top teams in the country. #42 Penn State 6 #65 Purdue 1 Doubles 1. Eddie Bourchier/Jason Lee (PSU) def. Branko Kuzmanovic/Slavko Bijelica (Purdue), 8-6 2. Ryan Gormley/Warren Hardie (PSU) def. P.J. Rose/Thomas Wilson (Purdue), 8-4 3. Guillaume St-Maurice/Taylor Cohen (PSU) def. Eric Ramos/Paul Foley (Purdue), 9-7 Order of finish: 2, 1, 3 Singles 1. Eddie Bourchier (PSU) def. Slavko Bijelica (Purdue), 7-5, 6-3 2. Ryan Gormley (PSU) def. P.J. Rose (Purdue), 6-2, 6-4 3. Branko Kuzmanovic (Purdue) def. Jason Lee (PSU), 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 4. Warren Hardie (PSU) def. Eric Ramos (Purdue), 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 5. Bryan Welnetz (PSU) def. Paul Foley (Purdue), 6-3, 6-1 6. Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU) def. Thomas Wilson (Purdue), 6-1, 6-3 Order of finish: 2, 1, 4, 5, 6, 3

Purdue loses 13-12 in walk-off fashion

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 20:21:00 +0000

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A walk-off single from Chris Serritella brought home the winning run for the Southern Illinois Salukis in a 13-12 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers (1-5) at Abe Martin Field on Saturday. After Lepore singled the game was tied when Serritella came to the plate against Joe Hasse with one out and a runner on third. He singled scoring Lepore from third, which gave the Salukis the lead for good. Hasse took the loss for Purdue. He went one inning, gave up one walk, struck out none, and allowed three runs. The Salukis (3-6) were in a difficult situation in the fifth inning before they recovered for the win. After Nick Johnson singled the Salukis were trailing by eight when Murphy came to the plate against Matt Morgan with two outs and a runner on first. He doubled scoring Johnson from first. That moment in the fifth inning turned the game around and set up Southern Illinois's opportunity to claim the victory in the ninth. The Salukis also tallied six runs in the sixth. In the inning, Matt Morgan gave up one run on a Jordan Sivertsen groundout. Later that inning, two runs came in when Nick Johnson doubled and runs came in when Michael Stalter walked and Aaron Roberts and Chris Murphy hit singles. The Boilermakers offense was spurred by a three-run homer from Barret Arthur in the ninth. That tied the game heading into the bottom of the inning. Chris Serritella had a good eye at the plate for Southern Illinois. Serritella managed two walks in the game. He scored two runs and had one RBI. Southern Illinois starter Lee Weld struggled, allowing eight runs in five innings, but the bullpen allowed four runs and the offense banged out 16 hits to pick up the slack and secure the victory for the Salukis. George got the victory in relief for Southern Illinois. The senior pitcher pitched two innings and allowed three runs. Nick Johnson, Aaron Roberts and Blake Pinnon helped lead the Salukis. They combined for seven hits, seven runs batted in and five visits to home plate. Purdue's next game is on Sunday, March 7 at Southern Illinois. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Wisconsin advances with win over Purdue

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 20:28:00 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS – Wisconsin scored on its first possession of the game and never looked back as the fourth-seeded Badgers defeated fifth-seeded Purdue 73-51 in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament before 7,153 fans at Conseco Fieldhouse on Friday night. For the second year in a row, Wisconsin (21-9, 10-8 Big Ten) advances to Saturday's Big Ten Tournament semifinals. The Badgers will face top-seeded Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. CT. The Buckeyes defeated ninth-seeded Illinois 66-55 in Friday's third quarterfinal game. Junior Alyssa Karel became the 20th Badger to score 1,000 career points when she hit a three with 12:34 to play, giving UW a 53-36 lead. Karel led Wisconsin with 14 points on the evening, bringing her career total to 1,005 points. Senior Rae Lin D'Alie posted 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and four of the Badgers' 10 steals. Junior Tara Steinbauer finished with 10 points, seven boards and three assists. Lin Zastrow also had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Badgers. UW outscored Purdue 34-20 in the paint. Purdue (14-15, 9-9 Big Ten) was led by Fahkara Malone's 11 points and Ashley Wilson's seven rebounds. The Badgers shot 30-of-59 (50.8 percent) from the field to Purdue's 17-of-50 (34.0 percent). UW out-rebounded the Boilermakers 35-32 and had just 14 turnovers compared to 19 by Purdue. Wisconsin wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Zastrow won the opening tip and D'Alie drained a three just 14 seconds into the game. The Badgers jumped out to a 15-2 lead over the opening 7:31 before Purdue trimmed the lead to eight at 28-20 with 7:20 remaining in the half. The Boilermakers then failed to score from 7:20 to 1:51 while Wisconsin rattled off eight straight points to lead 36-23. Jade Davis hit a three with 30 seconds remaining in the first stanza to give Wisconsin its largest lead of the half at 41-23 and the Badgers took a 41-25 lead into the locker room. Steinbauer led all players with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists in the first half, and Wisconsin went 18-of-34 (52.9 percent) from the field in the opening half compared to Purdue's 9-of-27 (33.3 percent). The Badgers out-rebounded the Boilermakers 19 to 11 in the opening 20 minutes. The second half was all Wisconsin. D'Alie hit a three with 16:45 on the clock to give UW a 21-point lead at 48-27. Purdue used a 7-0 run to come within 14 at 48-34 with 13:56 to play, but Wisconsin quickly extended its lead back to 21 at 63-42 with 8:43 on the clock. The Badgers' largest lead of the game was 24 at 73-49 with just 1:14 remaining in the game. The Boilermakers were 0-for-7 from 3-point range in the second half for a game-total of 4-of 17 (23.5 percent) while Wisconsin was 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Thirteen Badgers saw action in tonight's game for the first time since Wisconsin's 62-46 win over Robert Morris on Dec. 15, 2009. UW's bench totaled 18 points, but Purdue's reserves put up 23 points. Saturday's first semifinal will feature second-seeded Michigan State and third-seeded Iowa. The Spartans and Hawkeyes will tip off at 4 p.m. CT. Michigan State defeated Michigan 61-50 in the first quarterfinal while Iowa advanced with an 82-75 win over Penn State. The Big Ten Championship game is slated for 3:30 p.m. CT on Sunday and it will air live on ESPN2.

Boilermakers roll Salukis thanks to 19 hits

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 18:54:00 +0000

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois had a tough outing against Purdue on Friday. Purdue captured an 18-2 landslide win over Southern Illinois (2-6) at Abe Martin in the YMBL Cardinal Classic. The Boilermakers (1-4) did a good chunk of their damage in the fourth inning, scoring six runs. In the inning, Randy Hoelscher gave up one run on a Tyler Spillner single. Later that inning, two runs came in when Eric Charles doubled and runs came in when Brad Schreiber reached on a fielding error by third baseman Lepore, Jon Moore came home on a wild pitch and Moore was hit by a pitch. Schreiber drove in four Boilermakers runners. He went 3-5 at the plate. In addition to his fielding error by third baseman Lepore in the fourth, Schreiber singled in the third inning scoring Cameron Perkins and homered in the sixth inning scoring Perkins. The big game came as a surprise from Schreiber, who has been below average this season with a OPS of .764. On the season he has six hits in 15 at bats. He has driven in five runners and scored two runs. The game was a team effort for the Boilermakers with every starter putting up at least one hit. Matt Bischoff earned the win for Purdue. He allowed two runs over six innings. The senior pitcher struck out five, gave up two walks and surrendered five hits. Southern Illinois was unable to make good contact against Drew Wurdack. The Salukis managed two hits off of the senior pitcher. Wurdack allowed no earned runs, no walks and struck out three during his three innings of work. Hoelscher took the loss for Southern Illinois. He went three innings, gave up three walks, struck out four, and allowed eight runs. Southern Illinois took the lead in the second inning. The game was tied when Sivertsen came to the plate against Bischoff with two outs and nobody on base, and knocked a solo-shot out of the park. With the victory Purdue snapped a four game losing streak. The win was the Boilermakers first of the season. Purdue's next game is on Saturday, March 6 at S Illinois. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Painter wants tougher Boilermakers

Pete DiPrimio — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Matt Painter was back firing verbal shots at his Purdue Boilermakers. The coach thought he was done with this kind of motivation, at least until next season when habits always have to be relearned. Painter had seen 10 games worth of proof that Purdue understood that NOTHING was more important than effort. And yet, here he was, bracing for Wednesday's Indiana rematch in the final week of the regular season when so much is still possible if the Boilers would just rebound the bleeping ball. So he was asked about the psyche of his team in the aftermath of losing standout forward Robbie Hummel to a blown knee and then losing to a Michigan State team that committed 23 turnovers, eight by All-Big Ten guard Kalin Lucas. Painter couldn't shake the fact Purdue got out-rebounded by 26. "I don't think I have to be worried about their psyche," he said, "I think we have to be tougher. You can't feel sorry for yourself. This is life. Let's go fight. Let's get something done here." It starts with winning at least a share of the Big Ten title. That will happen if the Boilers beat IU on Wednesday at Mackey Arena and Penn State on Saturday at Happy Valley. That would give them a 14-4 conference record. Ohio State and Michigan State can match that by winning their final games. Purdue (24-4), which dropped from third to seventh in the AP poll, will be favored against Indiana even without Hummel, who averaged 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds. "We have to play," Painter said. "The other night was disappointing because if we can't play any harder than that ... "This is where we were at 2-3. We can play great defense, but you can't get the reward if you can't rebound." Painter won't let this theme go. He will hammer the Boilers about it in practice for the next few days, and it will start, and certainly not end, with his two best healthy players, E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson. "They both have to rebound better," Painter said. "It's the same with the rest of the team. They know it. They know what I'm going to say. It doesn't matter who's not there. Anybody can box out. Anybody can get lower, get your hips lower than their hips, put contact on somebody, get your hands up and create space. That's all it is." When Purdue won at Michigan State, Hummel had six rebounds. Not having him didn't account for the 46-20 rebounding disparity. "Our guys have to look in the mirror," Painter said. "Every single one of them. We have to chase the ball. There are no excuses. We're in March now. I feel like Groundhog Day where we're back where we were before. I'm perplexed. We have guys who don't go get the ball. It's my fault. I'm the coach. I didn't have them ready to go. You can't play soft in this league." Figure Painter won't coach soft the next few days. Yes, IU is 9-19 with a 10-game losing streak. It plays the patsy to everybody these days with seven straight losses by at least 14 points. But the Hoosiers pushed the Boilers hard in last month's 78-75 loss at Assembly Hall. Plus, it's Senior Night at Mackey Arena and the team wants to send Chris Kramer and Keaton Grant off the right way. Kramer set Purdue's career steals record, with 260. He likely will make the All-Big Ten defensive team for the fourth straight year. He was the conference defensive player of the year as a sophomore. Grant has come on strong the last few games and hit the game-winning shot against Minnesota. He's played in 96 victories, second most in school history to Porter Roberts' 98. "Chris is a guy who will lay it on the line every night," Painter said. "There are a lot of days where he's shown his will and toughness. "Keaton has been up and down as a shooter, but that didn't stop him from working. That's a great attribute to have. He always comes early and stays late. He puts in the time. The fact he has not given in, that's special." ___ (c) 2010, The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.). Visit the News-Sentinel, at http://www.news-sentinel.com / Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com , call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. Copyright 2010 The News-Sentinel

Boilers bounce back, sweep Hoosiers

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 17:28:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Chris Kramer's performance on Senior Night was nearly perfect. The only thing that could top it for him would be helping Purdue win a Big Ten championship. Kramer had a season-high 18 points and six assists in his final home game to help the Boilermakers (No. 6 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 AP) beat Indiana 74-55 on Wednesday night. If Purdue wins at Penn State on Saturday, the Boilermakers will earn a share of the conference title. It would be Purdue's first regular-season championship since 1996. "It's something nobody can take away from you," Kramer said. "It would mean a lot to us." Kramer did his part to put his team in position. The guard, known as a defensive stopper, shot 7 of 8 from the field and had six assists. "Chris will have a game like that every blue moon," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "He stepped up tonight and made shots." It was Purdue's first win since losing versatile forward Robbie Hummel for the season to a torn ACL in his right knee. E'Twaun Moore scored 21 points and JaJuan Johnson added 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks for the Boilermakers (25-4, 13-4 Big Ten), who bounced back from a loss to Michigan State on Sunday that came in their first game without Hummel. Purdue scored just 44 points against the Spartans, but the Boilermakers shot 49 percent against the Hoosiers. "I think we're getting used to playing without Robbie," senior Keaton Grant said. "Robbie makes everything a lot easier. We just had to get in the flow of not playing with him. We got in a rhythm." Hummel, Moore and Johnson have been the headliners the past three years, but Indiana coach Tom Crean said Kramer deserves his due. "As good as those three are who get a ton of the credit, he is the energy source," Crean said. "He just out-toughs you, and his will is so strong. We need to put a picture of him up in our coaches' office because that's the kind of guy we need to have in our program." Kramer, who is 6-foot-3, even guarded Indiana's post players at times. "I don't think there's any matchup that he loses over a consistent period of time," Crean said. "He's too athletic, and he's just too tough and strong." Verdell Jones III scored 15 points and Derek Elston added 13 points and seven rebounds for Indiana (9-20, 3-14), which lost its 11th straight game. "We knew coming into this game tonight, with the battle cry they have of playing without Robbie and the fact that they had the loss that they had on Sunday to MSU, that we would really, really have to play well, and we didn't," Crean said. Purdue got off to a much better start against Indiana than against Michigan State. The Boilermakers made six of their first eight shots to take a 13-5 lead. Moore scored nine points in the first 6 1/2 minutes to put the Boilermakers up 18-8. They shot 56 percent to lead 38-25 at the break. Purdue continued to roll early in the second half. A 3-pointer by Kramer put the Boilermakers up 48-31. Indiana's Jordan Hulls made a 3 in transition to trim Purdue's lead to 12 and force the Boilermakers to call a timeout. Moore scored six points during a 10-3 run that gave the Boilermakers a 59-39 lead midway through the second half, and the crowd showed its appreciation with a standing ovation. Painter was happy to see Moore get his offensive game going after he shot 3 for 13 against Michigan State. "I think the ball went in, more than anything," Painter said. "You're not going to have as much space when Rob Hummel isn't in there. Against Michigan State, he never got on track. "The ball is going back to him, and he knows it. We're going through JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore. When [Moore] gets going, we're going to be pretty good." Kramer made his first six shots, but his perfect shooting night ended when his seventh attempt rolled in and out with 12:20 remaining. Grant was replaced with 1:41 to play, and Kramer with 1:26 remaining. Now, the Boilermakers will look forward to Penn State, with a chance to add a regular-season title to the Big Ten tournament championship they won last year. "We needed to get back on track so we can finish the season strong," Grant said. "We've got one game, 40 minutes, to get us another ring. That's the most important thing."

West Virginia outlasts Purdue in slugfest

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 15:17:00 +0000

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Bats were blistered at Jack Russell Stadium on Monday as the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Purdue Boilermakers combined to put 32 runs on the board. The Mountaineers won the offensive battle 18-14 over the Boilermakers (0-4). The two teams combined for 37 hits in the game. West Virginia (2-5) starter Jonathan Jones struggled, allowing seven runs in five innings, but the bullpen allowed seven runs and the offense banged out 19 hits to pick up the slack and secure the victory for the Mountaineers. Jones earned the victory for West Virginia. He allowed seven runs over five innings. The sophomore pitcher struck out two, gave up five walks and surrendered 10 hits. Jedd Gyorko drove in three Mountaineers runners. He went 4-5 at the plate. Gyorko grounded out in the third inning scoring Brady Wilson, doubled in the fifth inning scoring Mark Dvoroznak and homered in the eighth inning. The game was a team effort for the Mountaineers with every starter getting at least one hit. Drew Wurdack took the loss for Purdue. He went three innings, gave up no walks, struck out two, and allowed eight runs. Matt Frazer, Kevin Griffin and Dvoroznak helped lead the Mountaineers. They combined for five hits, seven runs batted in and four visits to home plate. The Mountaineers knocked in eight runs in the third. In addition to Gyorko's groundout, Wurdack gave up one run on a Grant Buckner fly out. Later that inning, one more run came in when Frazer's single, one run scored on Matt Malloy's single, one run scored on Jeremy Gum's single, one run scored on Dvoroznak's fly out, Malloy came home on a wild pitch and one run scored when Wilson reached on a fielding error by first baseman Cameron Perkins. Purdue is going through a rough part of the season. The Boilermakers have now lost four games in a row. The Boilermakers have yet to win a game this season. Purdue's next game is on Friday, March 5 against McNeese State in Beaumont, Texas in the YMBL Cardinal Classic. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.