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a team that had shown signs of progress defensively in the games leading in. "When it ends up being 40 points," Painter said, "I don't think it's one sequence that gets you. … You have to give those guys credit. They're a good team and we're not. We play like individuals out there, but also, with that being said, they had a lot to do with it." Indiana did whatever it wanted on offense while Purdue turned the ball over 18 times and got outrebounded 39-29. After leading by 22 at halftime, Indiana made 7-of-10 three-pointers after halftime to not only protect its lead but nearly double it. "We started to get down on ourselves," Hammons said of the first half, "when we should have pulled together." Key player Yes, 21 of his points came after halftime in a blowout, but there should be no discounting Hammons' performance in a showcase type of game for him against Indiana All-American Cody Zeller. He became the first Purdue freshman in a generation to score 30 points, and did so after early foul trouble could have derailed his entire game. Tom Campbell A.J. Hammons more than held his own against Indiana's Cody Zeller, becoming the first Boilermaker freshman to score 30 points in a game since Russell Cross in 1980. Key stretch Purdue trailed by just nine with 4:41 remaining in the first half, affording it an opportunity to keep close and mobilize for a potential second-half run. But the minutes that followed were where the game got away from Purdue, as Indiana closed the half on a 13-2 run to lead by 20 at intermission. Key stat Indiana generated 20 points off Purdue's 18 turnovers and 24 off 18 offensive rebounds, as those two categories pretty much accounted for the historymaking margin. TAKEAWAYS S Guard play has simply been Purdue's undoing lately at both ends of the floor. Terone Johnson was badly ill around the time of the Indiana game and didn't practice prior to the Northwestern game, perhaps having something to do with his worst two games of the season. Ronnie Johnson and Anthony Johnson, meanwhile, are struggling at the point. Defensively, Purdue's getting beat off the dribble routinely. When Painter talked after the Northwestern game about his team's lack of depth preventing him from benching people, he's talking about the backcourt. S Hammons has been very good offensively the past two games, totaling nearly 50 points between the two of them, but he has to cash in at a higher rate within a foot or two of the rim. Once he starts going up strong and trying to finish everything with authority, he's going to make more putbacks and shoot more free throws. When that happens, look out. S Dru Anthrop's injury is a significant one — he's out roughly a month after breaking his nonshooting hand — not because the senior has played much this season, but because the heady point guard represented Painter's lone option to make a statement to his guards with who he plays. It wouldn't have come as a surprise to see Anthrop play an increased role the next few games. S Whether it's a freshman "wall" or opponents figuring things out, Rapheal Davis has been a non-factor lately after the freshman began the Big Ten season with such success. S The really troubling thing about the past two games for Purdue has been the apparent lack of fight. When the IU game got away late in the second half, you'd have figured the Boilermakers could at least make a modest run in the second. It never happened. And it seemed like that swoon carried over directly into Northwestern, where Purdue trailed 12-0 right out of the gate. It's been a frequent storyline for Purdue this season how it's handled adversity. This week was an utter fail in that sense. S The most puzzling area of regression for Purdue has been on defense, where it was starting to look a little salty prior to the IU game. Since then, though, Purdue's gotten torn apart. Granted, Indiana is an elite offensive team and Northwestern is a problematic systematic team for an inexperienced opponent, but to give up 100 in the past two first halves is almost beyond belief for a team that led Michigan at halftime not too long ago, then held Iowa to 18-percent shooting in a first half. j GoldanDBlack express • volume 23, express 20 • 8