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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 19 • 1 BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com W hen it has absolutely had to, Purdue has delivered its best basketball of the season. An NCAA Tournament bid remains a distant light at the end of the tunnel, but the Boilermakers' recent run has moved them back into striking distance weeks after such things looked like no better than a pipe dream. Coming off back-to-back wins over No. 25 Iowa and No. 22 Indiana, the program's first consecutive wins over top-25 competition since the winter of 2011, Purdue scored an important road win in emphatic fashion at Northwestern, opening the second half with a 21-4 run to cruise to a 68-60 victory, its third straight. The modest Big Ten winning streak positions the Boilermakers at 14-8, 6-3 in the league, tied for second place at the midway point of the conference season. Purdue has continued its leaps-and-bounds im - provement defensively, spear-headed by captain Ra- pheal Davis, while its past two games have been two of its sharpest offensive showings of the year. The Boilermakers were clinical in their offensive preci- sion against Indiana and again in the second half against the Wildcats, overcoming the obvious issue that they continue to shoot poorly from the perimeter. "We're just trying to be consistent as a team and not beat ourselves," Coach Matt Painter said. "A lot of times last year, we'd play hard but we wouldn't play smart. We'd do positive things, then miss free throws. We didn't stay con- nected at both ends of the court and I think we're just doing a better job with that so far. We can really improve. When one area breaks down, we do better in another area and vice versa. We have to just try to play a 40-minute game and a well-rounded game." The blowout of IU was the closest Purdue has come to that elusive 40-minute game, and after a suspect first half in Evan- ston, the Boilermakers regained peak form, or close it, for the game-deciding stretch coming out of the locker room. "We came out and we jumped on them," Davis said. "We were focused." With a home game against No. 20 Ohio State upcoming, followed by road trips to Minnesota and Rutgers, Painter sees room for his team to improve even more. "We've done some positive things at the offensive end, then struggled to knock down some perimeter shots and knocking down free throws (before)," Painter said. "We've been able to win three in a row without Kendall Stephens giving us much from the perimeter and he's a key part to our Tom Campbell Purdue has been all smiles lately, riding a three-game Big Ten winning streak, thanks in part to a solid showing recently from center A.J. Hammons. 6 Ohio State's current winning streak against Purdue, including two straight in Mackey Arena. 8 Consecutive games in Purdue-Indiana series that have been decided by dou- ble-digit scores. Each team has won four of those contests. 17 Combined percentage free throw improvement by Isaac Haas and A.J. Hammons in the last five league games compared to the first four. 2027 The year the football team is scheduled to play at Wake Forest, a place it last visited in 2003. THE NUMBERS VOLUME 25, EX 19 • FEB. 2, 2015 Inside | Win streak hits three 6-8 'Soul Patrol' feature 9–11 | Notes 12–15 Women's basketball struggles 18-22 Boilermakers Hit Midseason Stride