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#BoilerNotes
- Purdue's sellout crowd of 14,846 marked its first non-conference sellout since Dec. 11, 2010 vs. North Florida. It was the first non-conference sellout since the Mackey Arena renovation was completed.
- Purdue averaged 13,012 fans in non-conference play. Last year through non-conference play, Mackey Arena averaged 10,473 fans per game.
- Purdue finished non-conference play with a 9-0 record at home, its seventh undefeated non-conference season under Matt Painter.
- The Boilermakers have now 15 straight games at Mackey Arena, tied for the sixth-longest streak in facility history. Purdue is now 23-3 at Mackey Arena since the start of last year.
- Matt Painter coached in his 350th game at Purdue. He now owns a 224-126 record (.640).
- Purdue is 78-6 under Matt Painter at Mackey Arena before the calendar turns to January.
- After getting outrebounded 25-20 in the first half, Purdue outrebounded Vanderbilt 23-9 in the second half.
- Purdue held Vanderbilt 26.4 points below its scoring average and has now held 11 straight foes under their pregame scoring average. It marked the eighth time in 13 games that Purdue held its opponent to 59 points or less. Purdue is now 111-4 under Matt Painter when holding foes to 59 points or less.
- Purdue has outrebounded all 13 of its opponents this year.
- Purdue's skyline trio (Hammons, Haas, Swanigan) combined for 40 points, 23 rebounds and eight blocked shots.
- Purdue's bench outscored Vanderbilt 29-17, the 13th straight game Purdue has outscored its opponents' bench.
- Purdue has now 27 straight games when shooting more free throws (31 to 11).
- A.J. Hammons recorded his 19th career double-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Hammons scored 15 of his points in the second half.
- Hammons moved into 28th place on the career scoring list (1,245 points), seventh on the career rebounds list (750) and remains second on the career blocked shots list (291).
- Hammons is one of four players in Big Ten history with 1,200 points, 750 rebounds and 275 blocks (Herb Williams, Acie Earl, Joe Barry Carroll, Hammons).
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP)-- Purdue was struggling from behind the arc and was in danger of losing a second straight game after winning its first 11.
Then A.J. Hammons took over, scoring 15 of his 21 points in the second half to rally the 14th-ranked Boilermakers to a 68-55 win over Vanderbilt on Tuesday night.
Hammons added 10 rebounds and seven blocks in his 28 minutes as Purdue bounced back from Saturday's loss to No. 9 Butler in the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis.
"When he is amped up, ready and engaged, A.J. is the best big man in the country," said Boilermaker forward Vince Edwards. "We weren't making our 3s, but we were feeding him and hanging our hats on our defense. We were doing all the little things."
Rapheal Davis added 14 points and Caleb Swanigan had 13 for the Boilermakers (12-1), who extended their Mackey Arena winning streak to 15 games. Purdue missed 17 of its 19 3-point attempts.
Wade Baldwin scored 13 points and Jeff Roberson added 12 for Vanderbilt (7-4), coached by former Purdue guard and assistant coach Kevin Stallings. The Commodores shot only 34.9 percent (22 of 63) and were out rebounded 43-34, including 23-9 during the pivotal second half, when the Boilermakers outscored Vanderbilt, 45-29.
"I was just making good, easy moves to the basket, and I knew they were in foul trouble," said Hammons, who chowed down on a large chicken sandwich with barbecue sauce during postgame interviews. "I thought I played good, but we played an unacceptable first half. Tonight was about payback from them beating us last year."
Two Hammons free throws with 4:05 to play gave Purdue a 51-42 lead, capping a 22-8 run that included a 3-pointer from Ryan Cline and nine points from Hammons.
"Vandy was tougher and more physical than we were in the first half," said Purdue coach Matt Painter, who sternly lectured his team at halftime. "The 3-pointers are a big part of our game, and when we make only 2 of 19, guys get frustrated, and you have to find another way. In the second half, A.J. set the tone in the paint on both ends of the court."
Purdue finally got untracked with 11:42 remaining, beginning a 10-0 run that included eight points from its big men, four from Isaac Haas and two each from Swanigan and Hammons to seize a 39-34 advantage with 8:53 to play.
Stallings, whose team also has played Kansas with its strong front line, was asked about Purdue's wealth of size.
"Kansas didn't hurt us inside," Stallings said. "We got killed inside tonight. It was an ugly game with a bunch of fouls. Purdue missed some open shots, but they got the ball where it needed to be."
Vanderbilt took a 26-23 halftime lead, outscoring Purdue 7-2 during the final 3:24, including a 3-pointer from Roberson.
TIP-INS
Vanderbilt: The Commodores defeated Purdue 81-71 this past December in Nashville, getting a career-best 26 points from guard Riley LaChance. ... Before playing the No. 14 Boilermakers, Vanderbilt was 19-133 in road games against Top 25 opponents. ... Now in his 17th season at Vanderbilt, coach Kevin Stallings is the current dean of SEC coaches.
Purdue: Before Tuesday's game, the Boilermakers had not beaten Vanderbilt since Dec. 30, 1929, when the legendary John Wooden led Purdue to a 43-22 victory in West Lafayette.