IPFW 55 - 70 2Purdue
Final
  for this game

Johnson leads Purdue over IPFW

Dec 23, 2008 - 6:00 AM WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (Ticker) -- JaJuan Johnson gave Purdue a present it really needed - a big performance.

Johnson had career highs of 21 points and nine rebounds as No. 15 Purdue captured its fifth straight win, a 70-55 victory over IPFW on Monday.

E'Twaun Moore had 19 points and Marcus Green added 12 for the Boilermakers (10-2), who won the first of back-to-back meetings with intra-state foes before opening Big Ten Conference play against Illinois on December 30. They will face Valparaiso on Sunday.

With the start of league play right around the corner, Purdue will be aiming to get healthy, as starters Chris Kramer and Nemanja Calasan both appeared in limited minutes on Monday due to injuries.

Kramer, who sprained his left foot in Saturday's win over then-No. 20 Davidson on Saturday, played in just 12 minutes while Calasan was limited to three due to a knee injury.

To make matters worse, leading scorer Robbie Hummel struggled, going 3-of-10 from the field en route to a season-low six points.

Yet, the 6-10 Johnson stepped up, making 10-of-14 shots, grabbing four offensive rebounds and blocking three shots in 31 minutes.

After scoring 10 points in the first half to help Purdue take a 36-22 lead, the sophomore forward Johnson added six straight points early in the second to extend the cushion to 47-29 with 15:46 left.

"I made an emphasis on posting strong," said Johnson, who recorded his third double-double of the season. "I know if I post strong they'll get me the ball."

The first of those three baskets came off an offensive board, as Johnson corralled a missed 3-pointer by Moore and completed the putback. Overall, the Boilermakers had a 13-9 advantage on the offensive glass.

The senior guard Green also took advantage of extra playing time, scoring in double figures for just the third time this season and pulling down nine boards.

"I was given the opportunity to go out there and play," Green said. "It was fun and exciting, you know? I just went out there and had a good time."

Nick Daniels had 14 points for the Mastodons (4-8), who fell to 0-3 all-time against the Boilermakers.






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