BOX SCORE
Final Score: Tennessee State 48 - #16 Purdue 97
Records: TSU (5-6) - #16 Purdue (12-2)
Venue: Mackey Arena
Location: West Lafayette, Ind.
Attendance: 12,679
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. --- In the final non-conference game of the season, the Tennessee State men's basketball team was handed a 97-48 defeat at No. 16 Purdue on Thursday night at Mackey Arena. Senior guard Delano Spencer led the offense with 13 points, while Christian Mekowulu added 10 points and four rebounds. Â
TSU (5-6) could not overcome the high-powered offense of Purdue (12-2), which shot 58.6 percent (34-of-58) from the floor on the night.
Purdue, which is ranked 16th in the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll, held a 48-16 halftime edge. In the second half, the Boilermakers outscored TSU 49-32.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- TSU LEADERS
- Christian Mekowulu scored in double figures for the sixth time this year and the 19th time in his career.
- Delano Spencer scored in double digits for the 10th time this season and the 21st time in his TSU career.
- Hampus Ahlin finished with a career-high eight points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- TSU took the lead on a three from Delano Spencer for a 6-5 edge just over 1:30 into the game.
- Later in the half, Purdue seized control with a 12-0 run leading to a TSU timeout. The run put the score at 28-11 in favor of the Boilermakers with 12 minutes to go before halftime.
- The Boilermakers continued its offensive charge, carrying a 48-16 lead into the half.
- Out of the break, TSU outscored Purdue by a 17-7 margin in the first four minutes of the second half.
- Purdue used a 25-2 run in the second half to maintain its distance from the Tigers the rest of the way.
GAME NOTES
- Thursday was the first-ever meeting between the two sides.
- Purdue is ranked 16th in the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll.
QUOTES
HEAD COACH DANA FORD
"Obviously, Purdue is really good. A lot of credit to them – they stepped up. They were really physical and played great team basketball. It seemed like every time they had an open shot, it went in. We just never, after those first four minutes, got into any type of rhythm offensively. Most of that - credit it to them. They're really good defensively. I'm just proud of our guys that they didn't quit. I thought they kept competing. We'll just have to continue to learn from it the best we can and put it behind us."
- Thoughts on the game
UP NEXT
- TSU breaks for the holiday before opening Ohio Valley Conference play at UT Martin on Dec. 28 on CBS Sports Network.Â
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