Purdue's Gene Keady Wins 400
Never mind the fact it was his 400th win with the Boilermakers, Purdue coach Gene Keady cared only that his team won.
"I didn't even remember 400 wins was coming up. I just wanted us to play smart, play hard and play together," Keady said after the 14th-ranked Boilermakers 62-49 Sunday over surprisingly tough Eastern Illinois.
Keady is now 438-188 in his career and 400-169 at Purdue.
Greg McQuay led Purdue (6-1) with 19 points and nine rebounds. Brian Cardinal added 10 points for the Boilermakers.
Marc Polite scored 16 points for the Panthers (3-1), who kept the game close in the first half and held a 28-27 lead on his 3-pointer early in the second half. Keith Hibbler grabbed 11 rebounds for Eastern Illinois.
The Boilermakers, who overcame an 18-point second-half deficit Friday night to defeat St. John's for third-place in the Preseason NIT, played sluggishly for most of the game. But the Panthers managed only five points in the final eight minutes while Purdue went on a 9-0 run.
Maynard Lewis triggered the Boilermakers' run with a 3-point shot at 7:35, followed by a free throw to make it 52-44.
Free throws by John Allison and Alan Eldridge, and Tony Mayfield's 3-pointer put the Boilermakers ahead 57-44.
Purdue limited the Panthers to 10-of-34 from the field in the second half, 1-of-12 from 3-point range, while hitting 12-of-26. The Boilermakers also dominated the Panthers in rebounding, posting a 50-38 advantage through the game.
"We have to make the shots," said Eastern Illinois coach Rick Samuels. "We can't shoot 29 percent and expect to win. I think we were anxious, we knew who we were playing and I think we to tried to hurry our plays. "
"In the second half, I think Purdue's defense wore us
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