Written by Adrian Beecher
Veterans Day was opening night for the Boilermakers and they got to put on a show at Mackey Arena in front of their home crowd as they welcomed the McNeese State Cowboys. Led by Caleb Swanigan’s 23 points, 20 rebounds and 6 assists, Purdue dominated 109-65 after a slow first half.
With 14:09 left in the first half, the Boilers were trailing the Cowboys 10-6 after some costly turnovers and big shots from McNeese. Purdue seemed to struggle for most of the 1st part of the half and continued to trail with 10:20 left in the half at a 19-14 deficit. However, that’s when the Boilers started to get things going.
After being subbed in at the 9:08 mark, Swanigan exploded over the next 5 minutes and 30 seconds. He accounted for 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block to lead the Boilermakers on a 24-9 run to take a 40-28 lead. Purdue head coach Matt Painter acknowledged that this is what really turned the game around for Purdue.
"I thought McNeese State came out and they had more life than us. “ Painter said. “We were a little careless with the basketball and didn’t make great decisions. They made a couple tough shots. I thought his ability to pursue every rebound and just to play harder than everyone else got us going. "
At the half, Purdue had a 47-32 lead on the Cowboys. Caleb had 17 points and 10 rebounds for a 1st half double-double that truly sparked their offense. McNeese had two 9-point scorers and Thomas Howard led them with 6 rebounds.
Purdue continued the 2nd half they way they finished the first, limiting the Cowboys offense and dominating the boards. They started out with a 17-6 run to open up the half, taking a 64-38 lead with 15:26 left in the game.
The closest that McNeese State would get would within Purdue in the second half would be 21 points with 14:33 left to play in the game. After that, Purdue ran away with it, going on a 30-10 run to take a commanding 94-53 lead with just 5:50 left in the game.
The Boilers finished with a 109-65 victory to start their season off with a decisive victory. They will now turn their focus to Villanova, who they will face on Monday November 14th at Mackey Arena. Tipoff is schedule for 7:00pm ET on Big Ten Network.
With 14:09 left in the first half, the Boilers were trailing the Cowboys 10-6 after some costly turnovers and big shots from McNeese. Purdue seemed to struggle for most of the 1st part of the half and continued to trail with 10:20 left in the half at a 19-14 deficit. However, that’s when the Boilers started to get things going.
After being subbed in at the 9:08 mark, Swanigan exploded over the next 5 minutes and 30 seconds. He accounted for 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block to lead the Boilermakers on a 24-9 run to take a 40-28 lead. Purdue head coach Matt Painter acknowledged that this is what really turned the game around for Purdue.
"I thought McNeese State came out and they had more life than us. “ Painter said. “We were a little careless with the basketball and didn’t make great decisions. They made a couple tough shots. I thought his ability to pursue every rebound and just to play harder than everyone else got us going. "
At the half, Purdue had a 47-32 lead on the Cowboys. Caleb had 17 points and 10 rebounds for a 1st half double-double that truly sparked their offense. McNeese had two 9-point scorers and Thomas Howard led them with 6 rebounds.
Purdue continued the 2nd half they way they finished the first, limiting the Cowboys offense and dominating the boards. They started out with a 17-6 run to open up the half, taking a 64-38 lead with 15:26 left in the game.
The closest that McNeese State would get would within Purdue in the second half would be 21 points with 14:33 left to play in the game. After that, Purdue ran away with it, going on a 30-10 run to take a commanding 94-53 lead with just 5:50 left in the game.
The Boilers finished with a 109-65 victory to start their season off with a decisive victory. They will now turn their focus to Villanova, who they will face on Monday November 14th at Mackey Arena. Tipoff is schedule for 7:00pm ET on Big Ten Network.