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volume 23, EX 18 ��� jan. 21, 2013 Inside | Boilers win three straight 7-8 | Hammons feature 10���11 Hazell hires six assistants 22-23 | Football notes 25-26 the Ten grind. And so it continues,whatBigwas feeders After doing necessary ��� beating Big Ten bottom Penn State and Nebraska and then whipping West Virginia in a seven-day span ��� Purdue must get geared up for another crucial three-game stretch. The Boilermakers are hoping that last one got them revved up. In winning its last three, Purdue shot 46 percent, held opponents to a combined 30 percent shooting and had 30 more rebounds. ���It was really important not only for me and D.J. (Byrd) and (Anthony Johnson), but for the younger guys,��� junior Terone Johnson said of the stretch. ���I think that builds a lot of confidence going into these next games. Also, it shows them that our system actually does work. Early in the season, guys didn���t really know the system. But now I feel like everybody is getting better at that, and that���s just a big Tom Campbell confidence builder I feel like.��� Purdue���s improved ball movement and shot selection has paid dividends for guys like Coach Matt Painter was most pleased D.J. Byrd who has seen his production from deep greatly increase of late. 9 151 8,395 Ten. purdue needs to keep building BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com THE Numbers with his team���s play against Nebraska during this stretch, considering the Boilermakers watched a large lead dwindle but didn���t let it slip. ���That was a real confidence boost for our team,��� he said. ���The other two games were different. It���s great that you play well and get leads, but (Nebraska) was an important time for us and something that can hopefully help our team mature as the season goes on.��� But it won���t just take confidence to keep streaking. Purdue hits one of its toughest short stretches of the season, playing a pair of top-10 teams in the next three games. Consecutive games that D.J. Byrd has nailed at least two three-pointers, the top current streak in the Big Coach Sharon Versyp���s career victories at Purdue in seven seasons, after recording No. 150 vs. Ohio State. If Purdue beats Michigan Thursday, the span in days between the Boilers��� road wins over topfive opponents. It last happened on Jan. 30, 1990 in a 90-73 upset of the No. 4 Wolverines, who were also the defending national champs. The margin increase of three-pointers Byrd has hit this season (15) as compared to the first six games in conference play last year. The senior hit 13-of-26 in the first third of conference play in 2012, while he has attempted 34 shots this year. Consecutive double-doubles by Sam Ostarello vs. Nebraska, Ohio State and Minnesota, the most since Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton had four straight in 2009. 2 3 First up is a trip to No. 2 Michigan on Thursday. A home game against Iowa is on Sunday before Purdue gets No. 7 Indiana on Jan. 30. Johnson said Purdue did ���everything we were supposed to do��� in a monster 7952 victory over West Virginia, a .500 team that looked overwhelmed and couldn���t hit GoldanDBlack express ��� volume 23, express 18��� ������ 1