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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 18 • 9 BY GOLD AND BLACK STAFF W eeks ago, Matt Painter told the rest of Purdue's coaches Rapheal Davis needed to stop tak- ing perimeter shots. Because he wasn't making them. In the first 18 games, Davis was only 2 of 17 on three-pointers, and defenses prompted responded by backing off the junior guard. Perhaps Davis' late spurt will change the scouting report. In the last two games, the co-captain has made 5-of-9 three- pointers, including the go-ahead three in the final minute in Purdue's victory over No. 25 Iowa Saturday. Even after Davis' 3-for-5 per - formance against the Hawkeyes, Painter still said he only wants Davis to shoot when he's open. "When he's wide open — and they're going to leave him wide open — this is great because the guys who are missing them for us can make them," Painter said. "Vince Edwards, Dakota Mathias, P.J. Thompson, Kendall Stephens, those guys didn't make one (against Iowa), but they can. Couple of them wouldn't be here if they couldn't. "So to have (Davis) be able to step up and make those plays is huge for our team because I know those other guys are going to make some." Davis is only a career 26-percent three-pointer shooter. But he attributes his recent flashes of brilliance from the perimeter to extra work. And building confidence doesn't hurt either. "I just feel like I have a great support system, especially with my teammates, coaches, my parents, my family. They tell me just play with confidence," Davis said after his career-high 24-point game against Iowa. "I work on my game a lot. I shoot it a lot. Coach always tells me, 'You shoot the ball enough in practice, offseason, the work you put in must come out.' "I had a long talk with my father (Friday night) just about being confident and playing basketball." FINDING A GROOVE Though Jon Octeus' eight- game, double-digit scoring streak got snapped against the Hawkeyes, the senior's scoring contributions M E N ' S BA S K E T BA L L : N E W S A N D N OT E S Tom Campbell Rapheal Davis' shooting in the last two games has surprised even Coach Matt Painter, who only weeks ago said he didn't want the senior taking perimeter shots. In Davis' career-high 24 points against Iowa, he made three three-pointers. Davis Shines For Season Stats Click Here www.MeetYouAtArnis.com LAFAYETTE • INDIANAPOLIS • GREENWOOD Visit one of our 18 Indiana locations Meet You At Arni's TM Celebrates Purdue's Student-Athletes SERVING BOILER FANS FOR 50 YEARS World Famous Pizza, Salads, Sandwiches Andrew Cartwright Sophomore, Major in Mechanical Engineering Cartwright, a runner from West Lafayette, was one of eleven Men's Cross Country runners to be named Academic All-Big Ten on Dec. 10. Seventy-one Purdue student-athletes received Academic recognition eclipsing last fall's total of 64 and 2012's total of 46. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners, in at least their second year at their institution and carry a gradepoint average of at least 3.0. Football and women's cross country led the way for the Boilermakers with 20 honorees for football and 19 for women's cross country. Women's soccer followed with 16, men's cross country had 11 members recognized and the volleyball team had five. PRESENTS vertime