For Matt Painter's squad, it was a 40 minute barrage.
On the strength of 58% shooting for the evening, Purdue took down Michigan State 86-76 on Saturday night at Mackey Arena to remain a game off Ohio State's pace in the Big Ten title race.
The Boilermakers (17-3, 6-1) got big nights from their stars as E'Twaun Moore led the team with 26 while JaJuan Johnson followed with 20 of his own. Purdue also got a major contribution from guard Lewis Jackson who was 6-9 shooting from the field and 7-8 from the free throw stripe to finish with 19 points.
The Spartans (12-7, 4-3) fell despite another solid effort from forward Draymond Green, who finished with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. Delvon Roe also had a nice game for Michigan State, finishing with 16 points and four boards. The only other Spartan to finish in double figures was Durrell Summers, who had 11 points.
Michigan State outrebounded Purdue 28-24 and hit an impressive 10 3-pointers. It wasn't enough to overcome the Boilers' hot shooting, though. No less than seven Purdue players finished at 50% shooting or better from the field. The Boilers also managed 12 more free throws than the Spartans on the evening.
The loss was Michigan State's second of the week and third in five games. After opening Big Ten play 4-1 and in the thick of the conference title race despite a rugged non-conference schedule holding down the win total, Sparty looked to be back on track, but road trips to Illinois and Purdue have proven the team still has a lot of work to do before March rolls along. Michigan State now heads home to take on a scuffling Michigan squad on Thursday night at the Breslin Center.
The win for Purdue keeps conference championship hopes alive despite a loss to Minnesota last week and a near miss against Penn State on Wednesday at Mackey. There will be no break for the Boilers, though, as they prepare for a game with major league title implications against Ohio State on Tuesday.