Stiffling Judson Defense Baffles Purdue-North Central
Game Overview
- Site: Michigan City, Ind. (LaPorte Auditorium)
- Event: CCAC Game
- Score: Judson 65, Purdue-North Central 36
- Records: JU (6-13/4-2), PNC (3-15/2-4)
- Stats: Box l Season Stats
- Next Game; at Trinity Christian - Sat., January 14th (Palos Heights, Ill.)
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – Playing one of the best defensive games of the year, Judson University (6-13) improved to 4-2 in the CCAC with a 65-36 win over Purdue-North Central (3-15/2-4). Judson held Purdue-North Central to just three second half buckets on 13% shooting and only allowed one three-pointer the entire game.
Brian Pedersen (St. Charles, Ill.) had a career-high with his first-ever double-double recording 17 points and 10 rebounds. Adam Hodge (South Elgin, Ill.) finished with 15 points while Josh Edwards (Mapleton, Ill.) recorded 11 points. Mario Herron led Purdue-North Central with nine points.
Judson led from start to finish with only three ties in the first four minutes of the game. The game was tied at two, four, and six before Judson went on a 10-0 run over five and half minutes. Pederson scored the first four points followed by three-pointers from Edwards and Sutton to make it 16-6 with 10:51 left in the half. With 4:54 left, Sutton hit a jumper to put Judson up 14, 28-14, but Purdue-North Central finished the half on an 8-2 run to dig into the lead, 30-22, at the half.
The second half brought out the best for Judson as they scored 35 points and held Purdue-North Central to just 14 points as eight came from free throws. Purdue-North Central did not hit their first shot from the floor until the 8:17 mark as Judson had a 20-point lead at that point, 48-28. The first four points of the half were scored on free throws at the 16:15 mark and 11:59 mark. Judson opened the half on a 11-2 run in the first eight minutes. With 3:23 left in the game, Frankie Cleope (Hanover Park, Ill.) made 1-of-2 free throws to give Judson a 30-point lead, 59-29.
Judson shot 64% in the first half and finished shooting 54% overall. They made 61% of their free throws and 28% of their three-point shots. Purdue-North Central was held to just 22% from the floor, 6% from three-point range, and 68% from the stripe. Judson also won the rebounding game, 40-26, and forced 13 turnovers.
Judson will travel to Palos Heights, Ill., on Saturday, January 14th, to face Trinity Christian College at 3:00 p.m. in CCAC play.
