No. 23 Purdue opens tourney play vs. Appalachian St.
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Riding a two-game win streak, the 23rd-ranked Purdue Boilermakers will face Appalachian State on Thursday in the Charleston Classic at TD Arena. Purdue won the first-ever meeting between the schools on Dec. 2, 2000, defeating the Mountaineers 79-65 at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers are seeking their third tournament championship in the last four seasons, having won the Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic in 2015 and the Cancun Challenge in 2016. After handling Fairfield 90-57 in their season opener, the Boilermakers defeated Ball State 84-75 last Saturday, marking their 12th 2-0 start in 14 seasons under head coach Matt Painter. But it didn't come without adversity, as Purdue trailed Ball State at home early in the second half of Saturday's victory. Painter pointed to the benefit of overcoming a second-half home deficit to a mid-major opponent early in the season. "Ball State was an experienced team, an older team, so I think in the first half, we had some things go against us," Painter said. "They made a couple tough shots, we missed some open shots, but we also forced some things. We also had some possessions that you'd like to have back. We were a little trigger-happy, especially when shots weren't going our way. "Then in the second half, I thought we showed a lot of good resolve, and kind of resiliency in just kind of putting them away and keeping them away. ... You have to have kind of some minor spots within a game and within a season, and I think that was something that was good for us to go through." Appalachian State is 1-1 after defeating Mars Hill 125-62 in its opener before falling to Alabama 81-73 on Sunday. The Mountaineers led by as many as six points midway through the second half, but lost steam down the stretch. Guards Ronshad Shabazz and Justin Forrest scored 21 and 14 points, respectively, shooting a combined 7-of-10 from 3-point range. Painter spoke highly of both players, emphasizing the need to limit their fast-break and spot-up opportunities. "I watched their game against Alabama and obviously they have a couple talented guards," Painter said. "They have good size and they have good athleticism. They're well coached ... they're a good team. We're going to have to do a good job in transition (defense)." Purdue is the only team on the Mountaineers' schedule currently ranked in the Top 25, and the challenge of facing the Boilermakers excites Appalachian State coach Jim Fox. "Playing Purdue, Matt Painter is a friend of mine and a great coach, that's going to be really good for us," Fox said. "A team that's tough, physical and gets up in you gives us problems, because they force us to play fast. Purdue is going to do all that." Purdue is 10-1 all-time against members of the Sun Belt Conference, with the lone loss coming in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, to Arkansas-Little Rock 85-83 in double overtime. The last time Appalachian State beat a ranked team was Nov. 24, 1997, when the Mountaineers defeated 17th-ranked Charlotte 66-60. |