Haas scores career-high 24 as Purdue improves to 6-0
By KEITH CARRELL
ISL Correspondent
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. _ Isaac Haas scored a career high 24 points in only 20 minutes of action, and Purdue improved to 6-0 with a 77-55 win over winless Lehigh.
The 7-foot, 282-pound center was allowed to play extended minutes in the first half after having picked up two early fouls, an uncommon occurrence during coach Matt Painter’s tenure. Haas rewarded Painter’s trust after halftime when he scored 21 of his points and snared all five of his rebounds.
Team leader Rapheal Davis sat out the game with an injured MCL, but coach Matt Painter said he’s “going to try to play on Tuesday” at Pittsburgh in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Dakota Mathias started in Davis’ stead and had a relatively quiet night.
P.J. Thompson also started for the first time this season, usurping the spot from Johnny Hill. Thompson had been filling a role very similar to that of Rodney Stuckey of the Indiana Pacers, an immediate spark off the bench with play worthy of starting. In his start, he netted ten points (1-1 FG, 7-8 FT — that is not a typo) and no turnovers in 23 minutes.
Hill was asked if he was upset with coming off the bench.
“Not at all,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who starts as long as we win the game. I think (Thompson is) playing great.”
Hill, to his credit, took the apparent demotion in stride and added 13 points of his own (4-4 FG, 5-6 FT).
Lehigh may not be a household name, and the Mountain Hawks notched their sixth consecutive loss in a tough non-conference slate, but they are a good basketball team that was picked as the preseason favorite to win the Patriot League.
The squads combined to miss the first eight shot attempts to begin the game until Haas finally made a bucket. Purdue attempted to take what Lehigh was giving it in the first half, but it resulted in quite a few long jump shots, many of which were ill advised and resulted in multiple air balls; Painter joked after the game that Purdue set a record for air balls in Mackey.
Vince Edwards had nine points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and only one turnover in a team-high 32 minutes of action.
Here are the highlights, courtesy of Purdue Athletics:
All the highlights from tonight’s 77-55 win over Lehigh are right here. #RememberTheName https://t.co/vOuxTCpPgS
— Purdue Basketball (@BoilerBall) November 29, 2015
Through the first half, the Boilermakers went 2-for-10 from long range. The offensive woes weren’t only from three, though, as the team also missed a number of layups and short jump shots early.
Another reason Purdue appeared out of sync on offense in the first half could have been the abundance of foul calls. Both teams were in the bonus with over 11 minutes remaining in the first period. In the half, Lehigh committed 13 fouls and Purdue had 12.
On top of Haas’ stellar performance in the second half, Purdue committed only five fouls after the break.
If it weren’t for Haas or Edwards, Lehigh’s Tim Kempton might have been the best player of the game. He visibly outplayed both A.J. Hammons and Caleb Swanigan on his way to 17 points, nine boards, and a block.
It wasn’t pretty, but Purdue found a new way to win, at the free throw line. Purdue has proven it can win by knocking down threes, slamming it down inside with its bigs, and now at the charity stripe. Purdue outscored Lehigh 21-9 from the line and shot 84 percent.
Quick Hits:
Purdue won the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in Connecticut, defeating Florida 85-70 in the title game on Sunday… Purdue was atrocious from deep, making only 4 of their 19 shots… Kendall Stephens continued his cold streak from three, going 1-6 after going 0-6 against Florida in the previous game… Purdue gave up 1 more point than the football team surrendered to Indiana (54) in a game played earlier Saturday afternoon… Purdue holds an 8-6 record in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, including six in a row and will face Pitt Tuesday night on ESPN 2.
Here are the postgame interviews, courtesy of Purdue Athletics:
Johnny Hill, Isaac Haas, Vince Edwards and Coach Painter talk to the media following tonight’s win. #RememberTheName https://t.co/JGk43uUghY
— Purdue Basketball (@BoilerBall) November 29, 2015
