GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 17 • 9
A.J. Hammons 20
C • 7-0 • Jr.
Hammons was re-
ally good vs. Penn State,
hanging 21 points, 12 re-
bounds and three blocks,
numbers that would
have been even better
had he finished a couple
easy ones at the rim. But
no play he made against
the Nittany Lions was bigger than the ef-
fort play he made in the final seconds of
regulation, contorting his body as he was
ridden toward the baseline to get a hand
on the rebound that Stephens collected
to have a chance to tie the game. For all
the talk of Hammons' "motor," that was a
"motor" play that saved Purdue's bacon.
P.J. Thompson 3
G • 5-10 • Fr.
In an ideal world for
Purdue, Octeus wouldn't
come off the floor. That's
not always reasonable,
though, and with Bryson
Scott now on the fringe
of Purdue's rotation,
Thompson is logging the
No. 2 point guard min-
utes. It did not go well at Penn State, as he
was all the wrong kinds of productive in
his one minute of PT: Two turnovers and
two fouls. Purdue loves his effort and his
mind, but there are physical limitations
there and there is an experience deficit,
too.
Dakota Mathias 31
G • 6-4 • Fr.
Mathias finally looked
right at Penn State after
he battled so many
health issues in the
offseason and during
preseason practice. This
was the model for the
freshman: He made great
decisions, knocked down
some jumpers and was the best passer
on the floor at times. His seven points and
four assists were big for Purdue. His com-
bination of decision-making and excel-
lent foul-shooting might make him a real
weapon for the Boilermakers in situations
where they're protecting late leads, even
if there are some defensive deficits.
Basil Smotherman 5
F • 6-6 • So.
Smotherman has to be
better to help this team.
His value lies — and
this has been proven by
past results — in him
running the floor, hitting
the boards and defend-
ing. When he comes
in and is too eager to
get a shot up, he forces offense when
the Boilermakers need something else.
Edwards' importance has cut severely
into the sophomore's minutes, but there
are things he can do to make the best
case possible for himself and that has not
seemed to be his focus recently.
Bryson Scott 1
G • 6-1 • So.
Scott got his chance
again at Penn State,
being inserted for
important minutes
after being relegated to
spectator for most of the
three games prior. Like
with Thompson's point
guard minutes, it did not
go well, as the sophomore was tagged
with two quick fouls and a turnover in
three minutes. There can still be better
days ahead for Scott, but Penn State was
not one of them. Where would Purdue
be without Octeus? Perish the thought,
especially on this day.
Jacquil Taylor 23
F • 6-10 • Fr.
The freshman big man
has been shut down for
the season and Purdue
will pursue a medical
redshirt season for him
after the year. He has
been limited in practice
due to foot and shin
issues and was absent
from practice the Thursday before the
Penn State game to see a specialist. There
is no guarantee the medical redshirt will
be granted retroactively, but no reason to
believe otherwise either. Purdue has been
planning for this and will have the proper
documentation needed to make its case.
Jon Octeus 0
G • 6-4 • Sr.
Purdue's improbable theft
of a victory at Penn State
was made possible by
many factors, plays and
sequences, one of the most
critical being the back-to-
back three-pointers the
senior point guard buried
in the second half, keeping
Purdue within position to
strike at the end. The box score, when all was
said and done, painted a sparkling picture: 13
points on 4-of-7 shooting, seven assists to one
turnover and four steals. And, ironically, the
one blemish on his game — 3-of-6 free-throw
shooting for an otherwise strong foul shooter
— won the game for the Boilermakers.
Kendall Stephens 21
G • 6-6 • So.
Stephens has always had
this potential, to simply get
hot and shoot Purdue to
victory. That is what hap-
pened in his 22-point out-
burst at Penn State, capped
by his brilliant game-tying
shot late in regulation. The
thing for Stephens now is
consistency, not just game
to game but possession to possession. Purdue
needs more from him in terms of backing up
positive plays with positive plays, as his game-
knotting shot masked a few iffy decisions with
the game on the line. But what mattered most
was that when a play was needed, Stephens
channeled Reggie Miller and made it.
Isaac Haas 44
C • 7-2 • Fr.
Big Ten play has not been
kind to the Boilermaker
big man, who looked like
a budding star during
non-conference. He still
does, but the productivity
has fallen off as foul issues
have plagued him. At Penn
State, he played 12 min-
utes, but that was mostly a
function of A.J. Hammons being outstanding
for the Boilermakers. The physical tone Haas
sets, though, in his minutes absolutely im-
pacts games for the better for Purdue.
Rapheal Davis 35
F • 6-5 • Jr.
Davis has been Purdue's
defensive stopper this
season. His assignment at
Penn State, D.J. Newbill,
got 37. Was that an entirely
an indictment of Davis?
Absolutely not. Others had
runs at Newbill and many
of the Big Ten's leading
scorer's buckets in the lane
in the second half came by virtue of him sim-
ply splitting Purdue's ball-screen defense and
breaking containment. And Newbill made
some really tough pull-up jumpers. Davis will
be just fine, but will want to clean up some
of the unnecessary fouls that put him on the
bench at the end of the game.
Vince Edwards 12
F • 6-7 • Fr.
It's not often you'll see
Edwards kept off the glass
the way he was at Penn
State, when he grabbed
just one rebound and was
held without an offensive
board. As with Haas, Big
Ten play has represented
a bit of a dip in productiv-
ity for Edwards, who's not
been nearly as efficient offensively since
tearing up Michigan as he was earlier in the
year. That said, Purdue needs him aggressive,
so he can't let struggles impact how he car-
ries himself.
Gold and Black's Men's Hoops Lineup
The
Starters
The
Reserves
The
Deep
Bench
Neal Beshears 30
F • 6-7 • Sr.
Anfernee Brown 24
G • 6-1 • So.
Jon McKeeman 2
G • 6-1 • Jr.
Stephen Toyra 11
G • 6-3 • Jr.
For
Season
Stats Click
Here
— Brian Neubert
