Nathan Baird

Journal & Courier

FINAL: Purdue 89, Cal (Pa) 52

Purdue 85, Cal (Pa) 43, 3:41—Speaking of which, Hammons just swatted another shot, then ran the length of the court for a one-handed dunk. Put an end to the lull here at Mackey Arena.

Purdue 78, Cal (Pa) 43—Hammons checks back in with a spark, scoring off of an offensive rebound and blocking his third shot to start a fast break.

Purdue 72, Cal (Pa) 40, 7:41—Things have been a bit sloppier here in the second half. Purdue's 14-5 assist-to-turnover ratio from first half is just 4-4 since halftime. ... Free throw shooting still stuck on 50 percent.

Purdue 68, Cal (Pa) 28, 12:58—Mathias buries his second 3, from the sideline off an inbounds pass. Purdue now 5 of 13 on 3s. He and Stephens, expected to be the Boilers' biggest perimeter threats, have picked their spots well (combined 4 of 6.)

Purdue 65, Cal (Pa) 28—PJ Thompson knocks another ball loose, starting a fast break and assisting on a layup for Scott. That's a game-high four steals for Thompson now.

62, Cal (Pa) 26—Rapheal Davis sparks Purdue early, making two free throws, then outworking two Vulcans for a put-back basket. He later finished a fast break that began with a Hammons block. Davis scored eight of Purdue's first 12 second-half points.

First half

HALFTIME: Purdue 50, Cal (Pa) 22—Boilermakers held for last shot of half, but Thompson turned it over. Good offensive first half, obviously, with Hammons and Haas doing what they wanted down low (21 points, 7 rebounds combined). ... Perimeter shooting and free throws haven't clicked in yet, but in general Boilermakers have done a good job getting the ball inside. ... Didn't play a lot of zone in the first half but we did see it on a handful of possessions. ... Purdue made only 5 of 10 free throws. Not a good start there after showing some promise of improvement in the scrimmages.

Purdue 48, Cal (Pa) 18, 2:30—Boilers switch to 2-3 zone for the first time, and Thompson comes up with his third steal. For the second time, he finishes with a layup.

Purdue 44, Cal (Pa) 15, 4:37—Rapheal Davis drives the baseline for a dunk and completes the and-one. Boilermakers pretty much imposing their will on offense right now. Have 13 assists on 19 field goals and have shot 66 percent from the field.

Purdue 33, Cal (Pa) 9—Doubled-teamed off of a post feed, Hammons turns and passes to a diving Edwards, who banks in the basket and draws the foul. Purdue passing the ball well today.

Purdue 29, Cal (Pa) 9—Smotherman turns and hands to Stephens, who was trailing the break, and the sophomore drains a 3. Hammons has 9 points, and the inside-outside dynamic is working well.

Purdue 22, Cal (Pa) 9—P.J. Thompson picked up his second steal of the first nine minutes and took it in for a layup. ... Coming out of the timeout, Painter went with a small lineup: Scott, Thompson, Smotherman, Stephens and Taylor.

Purdue 20, Cal (Pa) 9—Boilermakers are on a 15-2 run. Haas has converted both of his post touches into baskets. Mathas' first shot in a Boilermaker uniform was a made 3-pointer.

Purdue 11, Cal (Pa.) 7—Isaac Haas, the 7-2 freshman, checked in for Hammons and scored on his first possession. Bruson Scott also into the game, along with Jacquil Taylor.

Purdue 9, Cal (Pa.) 7—Hammons sparked a 7-0 run with a 3 and another basket. He said perimeter shooting would be a bigger part of his game this season.

Cal (Pa.) 7, Purdue 2, 16:58—California (Pa.) scored the game's first 5 points. Hammons missed two free throws and Octeus made 1 of 2, but a lane violation gave him another chance and he made the redo. Another Vulcan basket prompted a timeout from Purdue coach Matt Painter.

If you're one of those people who puts a lot of stake in who started the exhibition opener, Matt Painter went with new transfer Jon Octeus and freshman Vince Ewards along with Kendall Stephens, Rapheal Davis and A.J. Hammons.

PJ Thompson and Dakota Mathias were the first two Boilermakers off the bench, replacing Stephens and Davis.

PREGAME

Three things to keep an eye on in Purdue's exhibition opener today against California University of Pennsylvania:

DAKOTA MATHIAS: The freshman guard (pictured) is renowned for his shooting and passing skills, but injuries and illness hampered him in the preseason. Will the addition of players like Mathias, Vince Edwards and Jon Octeus instill some stability to an offense that needs to play with more poise?

THE ZONE: Expect the Boilermakers to try out their 2-3 zone today. Painter and Purdue players say they're happy about the progress they're making with the new (for them) defensive wrinkle but more is needed. Conversely, if the Vulcans try to deny Hammons and/or Hass with a zone of their own, how will Purdue respond?

TWO TALL: In both Purdue scrimmages, Painter paired Hammons and Haas together in one period. Will they play together today?