Dec. 27, 2000
AKRON, Ohio (AP) - Brett Buscher came off the bench and scored 21 points to lead Purdue past Akron 98-67 Wednesday night, as the Boilermakers won their seventh game in a row.
Rodney Smith and Maynard Lewis each scored 15 points for Purdue (8-2), which is 7-0 in December with an average winning margin of 31 points.
Buscher, a 6-foot-8 freshman forward, used a variety of power moves inside to score 17 points in the second half as Purdue extended a 39-29 halftime lead.
Lewis scored seven straight Purdue points during a 19-9 run to open the second half that gave the Boilermakers a 58-38 lead.
Then Buscher took over. He scored on a hook shot, a reverse layup, a turnaround jumper and slam dunk while Purdue went ahead 69-45. He made 10 of 13 shots from the field overall.
Buscher's previous collegiate best was 13 points in a 93-48 rout of Florida International on Dec. 22.
Purdue's quick defense repeatedly kept Akron from gaining any momentum. Freshman guard Austin Parkinson twice stole inbounds passes and converted easy layups in the second half for the Boilermakers.
Purdue had 13 steals, four blocked shots and forced 21 Akron turnovers.
Junior guard Rashon Brown scored 18 points to lead Akron (3-6).
The Zips' 38-point second half was the most scored against Purdue in half during the Boilermakers' winning streak.
Purdue's defense dominated early. Akron failed to score on four consecutive possessions as Lewis scored four points during an 8-0 run that put the Boilermakers in command at 11-3.
Purdue completely controlled the boards, outrebounding the Zips 30-14 in the first half and 43-27 overall.