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Purdue-Saint Joseph's Preview

Nov 21, 2009 - 5:27 PM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Purdue (2-0) at St. Joseph's (PA) (3-0), 8:30 p.m. EDT

Purdue coach Matt Painter wasn't satisfied with his team's play in its opening-round game of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, but he was still pleased to come away with a victory.

Painter hopes for a better effort from the seventh-ranked Boilermakers in the second round of the tournament Sunday night against Saint Joseph's, which is trying to open a season with four consecutive victories for the first time in six years.

With all five starters returning from a year ago, Purdue (2-0) is expected to contend for a Big Ten title and make a run in the NCAA tournament. It didn't look much like a top 10 team, though, as it came out flat in Friday's opening-round 74-63 win over South Dakota State.

The Boilermakers, who made only 2 of 14 shots from 3-point range, led just 39-37 at the half before pulling away late to avoid the upset.

"Any time you have close games, and any time somebody can outplay you and out-tough you, and you still win, those are good games," Painter said. "We have to be patient and play a lot smarter."

Painter would probably like to see floor leader Robbie Hummel play with a bit more composure.

While E'Twaun Moore led the Boilermakers with 22 points against the Jackrabbits, Hummel scored 14 in only 23 minutes because of foul trouble.

Hummel wasn't the only Purdue player overaggressive on the defensive end. The Boilermakers committed unnecessary fouls and South Dakota State took advantage by making 13 of 15 free throw attempts in the first half.

"The key was the flow of the game, and I thought they were tougher than us and quicker than us," Painter said. "We talked at halftime about staying tight with them and carrying out our assignments."

While Purdue appeared to lack intensity at times in its opening-round victory, Saint Joseph's (3-0) played with poise down the stretch in beating Boston College 84-80 on Friday.

Garrett Williamson scored 10 of his 18 points in the final two minutes for the Hawks, while Darrin Govens and Carl Jones each scored 16.

Williamson's layup with 1:57 left tied the game, and his three-point play with 38 seconds left gave St. Joseph's a 79-76 lead. He then made 5 of 6 free throws in the game's final 27 seconds.

"I was proud of the fight we had and we had it all through the lineup. I'm happy for the players that they're going to experience the winners' bracket," coach Phil Martelli told the school's official Web site.

The Hawks' defense again keyed the team to victory.

Saint Joseph's held the Eagles to 35.6 percent shooting and have limited their first three opponents to 37.0 percent from the field.

The Hawks, who haven't opened a season with four consecutive victories since the 2003-04 team won its first 27, will face Purdue for the second time in school history.

Saint Joseph's won the previous meeting 85-74 on Dec. 30, 1971.

The winner of this game will face either No. 10 Tennessee or DePaul in the championship game Monday night.