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Purdue easily wins season opener

Nov 15, 2010 - 4:09 AM West Lafayette, IN (Sports Network) - E'Twaun Moore finished with 16 points and six rebounds, leading 14th-ranked Purdue to a 76-40 win over Howard in its season-opener.

D.J. Byrd and John Hart each made 4-of-5 three-pointers and finished with 12 points in the victory. Byrd added four rebounds and three assists.

"He changed the game at the end of the first half with his decision-making," Purdue head coach Matt Painter said. "That's what we need him to do, we need him to make good decisions, make good plays, take his open shots and be a facilitator, for lack of a better word."

JaJuan Johnson added 10 points, 12 boards and five blocks for the Boilermakers (1-0), who are coming off a season in which they went 29-6 and reached the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Duke, the eventual champion.

Purdue did so without forward Robbie Hummel, who suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in February. The Boilermakers will have to play without Hummel again this season, as he suffered another torn ACL in October.

Alphonso Leary had 10 points and nine rebounds for Howard (1-1), which began the season Friday with a victory over Bowling Green.

It was a tight game early on, and just past the midway point of the first half, a Leary bucket had the Bison within 15-14. But Purdue started to pull away by scoring the next 11 points.

Johnson scored the final six of the run, including a basket with 3 1/2 minutes left that gave Purdue a 26-14 advantage. Terone Johnson and Moore each drained a three inside the final minute for the Boilermakers, who carried a 37-21 lead into the break.

"I was proud of the team the way we battled in the first 10 minutes. To play against a great team like Purdue in that environment was encouraging," Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry said. "But ultimately, their depth and our fatigue was too much to overcome."

Ryne Smith and Moore then connected on back-to-back shots from beyond the arc several minutes into the second half, making it a 46-23 game, and Purdue cruised to the finish.

Game Notes

Purdue made 13-of-28 three-pointers overall, but just 13-of-22 free throws...The Boilermakers held a 49-38 rebounding edge...Howard shot 24.6 percent...Purdue won its sixth consecutive season-opener, and 19th consecutive regular-season non-conference game.