Sasha Stefanovic scored a game-high 19 points, including 16 in the second half, and Purdue rallied knocked off upset-minded Valparaiso 68-61 on Friday night in West Lafayette, Ind.
Trevion Williams finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Isaiah Thompson added 14 points for Purdue (3-1).
Nick Robinson led the Crusaders with 15 points, Jacob Ognacevic scored 12 points -- all on 3-pointers -- and Donovan Clay finished with 10 for Valparaiso (0-3), which has lost 12 straight times to its in-state rival. Purdue leads the all-time series 17-1.
The Crusaders built a 34-23 lead at halftime by shooting 55 percent from the floor, including 6 of 12 on 3-point attempts, although they entered the game shooting just 24.5 percent from long range.
The Boilermakers, who were among the top 10 in the nation in 3-point percentage (49.3 percent), made only 1 of 11 from beyond the arc in the first half and 24.1 percent from the field. They finished at 35.2 percent on field-goal attempts for the game, 26.1 percent from 3-point range.
Stefanovic hit two treys in a 10-4 spurt for Purdue just out of halftime, cutting the deficit to 38-33.
With the Crusaders battling foul trouble and going cold from the floor, the Boilermakers gradually gained ground, eventually taking the lead 54-53 on two free throws from 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey with 6:48 to play. It was part of a 10-0 run, capped by two free throws from Stefanovic that put Purdue up 60-53 with 4:12 left.
A 3-pointer from Robinson pulled Valparaiso to within 62-59 with 2:17 to go, and a layup from Eron Gordon got the Crusaders within 64-61 with 1:06 left, but they could get no closer.
Valparaiso ran off 12 straight points early in the game to take a 12-3 lead, but Purdue immediately went on an 11-0 run to lead 14-12.
The Crusaders answered with 10 straight to lead 22-14. Five of those points came Clay, including a 3-pointer.
This time, the Boilermakers couldn't answer, getting only nine points the rest of the half, five of those on free throws. Robinson, meanwhile, scored six of Valparaiso's final points of the half. The others came from treys by Clay and Ognacevic.
Ognacevic led the Crusaders with nine points in the half. Williams had 10 points and five rebounds for Purdue before the break.
--Field Level Media
