Purdue basketball rolls past Morehead State, 87-57

WEST LAFAYETTE − Second-ranked Purdue blitzed Morehead State out of the gate Friday night.

The Boilermakers (2-0) scored the game's first 15 points en route to a second blowout victory in five days.

Led by the guard combo of Braden Smith and Lance Jones, Purdue rode that big early lead into halftime, where Jones sparked another scoring burst and Purdue rolled the Eagles 87-57 at Mackey Arena.

The competition ramps up on Monday when Purdue hosts Xavier.

But through two games, the Boilermakers, who played Friday without senior guard Ethan Morton, have lived up to the preseason hype.

It was over when

Despite Purdue's hot start in the first half, Morehead State played even with Purdue after that first wave.

It wasn't until Lance Jones' hot hand sparked a 23-9 Purdue run to open the second half where the Boilermakers pulled away.

Jones, who was 0-for-4 from 3 in Monday's season opener, hit three in a row early in the second half to ignite the Mackey faithful.

3 stars

Lance Jones, Purdue: Jones ignited the second-half run, but it was his ability to blow by defenders and lock down ball handlers that earned the appreciation of Purdue fans. The 3s were icing on the cake, with two deep ones nearly blowing the top off Mackey Arena. Jones had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Braden Smith, Purdue: Smith was so in control it's easy to forget he had a turnover in the opening seconds of the game. Smith's shooting sparked the offense early, hitting his first three shots. Smith flirted with a triple-double but with the Boilers up big, he came out of the game two rebounds shy. Smith's line: 11 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals.

Zach Edey, Purdue: Edey is getting the Michael Jordan treatment. It's too easy to put the reigning National Player of the Year on the list every night. Edey scored 18 points to go with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. Edey played just 24 minutes

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.

Purdue basketball stats vs. Morehead State

Purdue 87, Morehead St. 57

MOREHEAD ST. (1-2): Iyeyemi 1-2 0-0 2, Lathon 5-14 0-0 12, Minix 8-20 0-0 18, Thelwell 3-6 1-2 8, Thomas 2-7 0-0 6, Ricks 3-7 1-2 7, Miles 1-1 0-0 2, Scott 0-6 2-2 2, J.Morton 0-4 0-0 0, Marshall 0-0 0-0 0, Dingess 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-67 4-6 57.

PURDUE (2-0): Kaufman-Renn 4-6 1-2 9, Edey 5-8 8-9 18, Jones 6-10 0-0 15, Loyer 0-2 2-2 2, Smith 4-10 2-2 11, Heide 1-2 3-4 5, Gillis 2-2 2-2 8, Colvin 3-3 0-0 8, C.Furst 2-5 1-2 5, Waddell 1-2 0-1 2, Berg 2-3 0-0 4, Barrett 0-0 0-0 0, Martin 0-2 0-0 0, King 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-55 19-24 87.

Halftime—Purdue 42-29. 3-Point Goals_Morehead St. 7-31 (Lathon 2-6, Thomas 2-6, Minix 2-8, Thelwell 1-3, Scott 0-2, J.Morton 0-3, Ricks 0-3), Purdue 8-23 (Jones 3-6, Colvin 2-2, Gillis 2-2, Smith 1-4, Heide 0-1, Martin 0-1, Kaufman-Renn 0-2, Loyer 0-2, C.Furst 0-3). Rebounds_Morehead St. 28 (Lathon 8), Purdue 37 (Edey, Smith 8). Assists_Morehead St. 14 (J.Morton 4), Purdue 19 (Smith 11). Total Fouls_Morehead St. 21, Purdue 12.