No. 11 Purdue limited New Mexico to less than 60 points for the first time this season in a 70-58 loss Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Prior to Saturday UNM (5-2) had scored 75 points or more through its first six games, but ran into Boilermaker squad who had yet to lose. Purdue won its eighth straight to start its 2015-16 campaign.
Lobo guard Elijah Brown tied a game-high with Purdue center Isaac Haas as both players finished with 21 points. UNM guard Cullen Neal also matched Boilermaker center A.J. Hammons’s 16 points.
However, no other New Mexico player reached double figures, though Tim Williams came close with eight points. The Lobo forward scored under 10 points for the first time since playing New Mexico State.
The Lobos faced a team with significant size for the first time since that Nov. 15 meeting with the Aggies, again finding itself in foul trouble. UNM center Obij Aget and guard Sam Logwood, both starters, fouled out while Neal and reserve center Nikola Scekic had four apiece.
The Purdue frontcourt also dominated UNM on the boards, pulling down 51 rebounds to UNM’s 28. The Lobos grabbed only three offensive rebounds.
UNM trailed Purdue 31-25 at the half, and the Boilermakers outscored the Lobos 39-33 in the second half. Both team shot under for 40 percent. UNM was 21 of 54 from the field while Purdue ended 23 of 62.
Guard Johnny Hill also scored 13 points for Purdue.
J.R. Oppenheim is the managing editor for the Daily Lobo. Contact him at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JROppenheim.
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