Daniel Jacobsen scored a game-high 20 points and Purdue pulled away from visiting Illinois State in the second half for a 76-59 nonconference win Monday night in West Lafayette, Ind.
The 7-foot-4 Jacobsen hit 6 of 8 field goals and made 7 of 8 foul shots as the Boilermakers (1-2) bounced back from season-opening losses to then-No. 15 Gonzaga and Valparaiso. They fell 83-80 in double overtime to the Beacons on Friday on Justus McNair’s 3-pointer as time expired.
Antione West Jr. added 17 points on Monday for Purdue, which canned 14 of 23 field-goal attempts (60.9%) in the second half and finished the night at 56.5 % (26 of 46) from the field. Jack Benter tallied 14 points and C.J. Cox netted 10. Jacobsen added a game-high seven rebounds with three assists.
The Boilermakers never trailed, leading for all but 1:47 of the contest. They owned just a 50-48 edge when the Redbirds’ Cleveland sank two foul shots with 8:55 remaining.
However, Benter made two free throws on the next possession to start a game-breaking 15-0 run that ended with two foul shots by Jacobsen at the 4:13 mark for a 65-48 cushion.
While Purdue came into the game looking for its first taste of success, the Redbirds were hoping to be the second straight Missouri Valley Conference team, after Valparaiso, to leave Mackey Arena with a win. Illinois State entered the game averaging 92.5 points per game.
But the Boilermakers got off to a fast start, establishing a 19-10 advantage when Cox canned a 15-footer at the 12:10 mark of the first half. The margin reached 11 on multiple occasions, the last when Jacobsen drained a 3-pointer with 3:36 remaining to make it 32-21.
Illinois State made a move late in the half with a 7-1 burst that got the team within five on Cleveland’s layup with 1:07 left. However, West had the last word when he converted a 3-pointer with 3.0 seconds on the clock for a 36-28 lead at the break.