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vertime MEN'S BASKETBALL: NEWS AND NOTES BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com BY BRIAN NEUBERT The following is a look at Purdue's games last week. Bouncing back from a season- opening loss to Bucknell, Purdue left no doubt in Game 2 against Hofstra, leading by nearly 30 in PURDUE 83, HOFSTRA 54 Nov. 11 • Mackey Arena the first half, then cruising to a de- cisive victory from then on. Purdue simply overwhelmed Hofstra physically, taking advan- tage of an opponent that didn't play a player taller than 6-foot-8. Hofstra may be a significantly better team a few weeks from now, when several major-college transfers become eligible, but as is, it could run little resistance at Purdue, which shot 52 percent and grabbed a staggering Game: Villanova Location: Madison Square Garden (New York City) When: Thursday, 9:30 p.m. Notables: Purdue opens play in the New York City portion of the 2K Sports Classic against the Wildcats before facing either Alabama or Oregon State Friday. … Villanova is 2-0, coming off an 80-68 win over Marshall. … Freshman point guard Ryan Arci- diacono scored 25 points against the Herd and leads Jay Wright's team through two games with an average of 18. … Like Purdue, Villanova has been turnover-prone, committing 34 through two games. … Villanova will match Purdue's size with Mouphtaou Yarou (6-10, 255), Daniel Ochefu (6-11, 245), Maurice Sutton (6- 11, 220) and a host of big guards and wings. … As the event's lone BIG EAST rep, Villanova will be playing on an MSG court it knows well just a short trip from its Philadelphia campus. FLASH FORWARD PURDUE SPLITS A PAIR AT HOME TO OPEN SEASON 50 rebounds. "That was one of the two things we put emphasis on," cen- ter Sandi Marcius said, "the sec- ond being more patient on the offensive end, being patiently aggressive. Paying attention to (rebounding) and being patient, it paid off. " The lone readily apparent blemish on an otherwise emphat- ic win was the Boilermakers' 20 turnovers, but many of them oc- curred during careless garbage- time stretches during the second half, when Hofstra used a 7-0 run to get as close as 24 with eight minutes left. Anthony Johnson then came off the bench to score a team- high 14 points. Marcius was Pur- due's only other double-figure scorer, with 11. Point guard Ronnie Johnson dunk giving Purdue a 16-5 lead at 10:49. The sophomore put in six points and forced two turn- overs in the span of roughly two minutes, so his play in that time sort of underscored the distinct advantages the Boilermakers held over the Pride from size and ath- letic perspectives. Key stat Purdue has to be a solid re- recorded nine points, seven as- sists and three steals, but also turned the ball over four times. Freshman Rapheal Davis, who started, scored eight points, as did classmate A.J. Hammons and for- ward Jacob Lawson. Key player Focusing on playing harder bounding team this season. It was a hopeless matchup for Hofstra and thus maybe not very much of a big deal, but the Boilermakers did what they were supposed to in outrebounding its visitor 50-22. The Boilermakers grabbed 20 of- fensive rebounds. BUCKNELL 70, PURDUE 65 Nov. 9 • Mackey Arena Point guard Ronnie Johnson has been a pro- ductive scorer for Purdue right away and has excelled in transition, but has struggled some with turnovers. Tom Campbell and providing energy this sea- son, Lawson did both during the first half stretch that helped Purdue blow the game open. First it was a put-back, then a 2-on-1 basket off a steal he cre- ated, followed by a breakaway dunk off a steal of his own. Key stretch Lawson's stretch in effect blew the game open, with his Purdue was breaking in five fresh- men at home against one of col- lege basketball's better mid-major teams and its All-America candi- date big man, but the Boilermak- ers had to do it without their most important player. Terone Johnson sat out the As if it wasn't enough that opener after rolling his ankle in practice days earlier. There's no way of knowing whether the outcome of the GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 23, EXPRESS 11 • 37