Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS ó Stephen Curry will want to forget about this one.
Defensive stopper Chris Kramer helped No. 13 Purdue hold the nation’s scoring leader to 5-for-26 shooting in a 76-58 win over No. 22 Davidson on Saturday afternoon.
Curry entered the game averaging 31.9 points, but the Boilermakers harassed him into one of the worst shooting games of his career. He finished with 13 points and went 2-for-12 on 3-pointers.
“The shot felt well, everything felt normal, they just weren’t falling,” Curry said.
He said the combination of defenders Kramer, Keaton Grant and Lewis Jackson played a role in his off day. He singled out Kramer, the reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year.
“He did a great job, just attacking and staying on me the whole game,” Curry said. “I haven’t seen that all year, just the constant pressure of the ball.”
Davidson coach Bob McKillop took responsibility for Curry’s struggles.
“I expect him to bring the ball up the court, guard E’Twaun Moore, rebound the ball, make shots, deliver us from evil,” McKillop said. “I just put too much on him, and I’ve got to figure out how I can take some of that off him, because I am wearing him down.”
While one player controlled Davidson’s fortunes, Purdue countered with balance and depth. Robbie Hummel had 18 points and 14 rebounds, Grant scored 15 points, JaJuan Johnson scored 14 and Moore added 11 for the Boilermakers (9-2).
It was Purdue’s first win over a ranked team this year.
“I thought this was a great team victory for us,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “Our guys did a very good job defensively, not just the three guys that guarded Stephen Curry. I thought everybody was ready to play.”
Will Archambault scored 13 points and Andrew Lovedale scored 10 for Davidson (8-2).
The Boilermakers led 21-0 after about 7 minutes and stayed in control the rest of the way. It was the opposite of their start against Duke earlier this month, in which Purdue fell behind 7-0 and never challenged the Blue Devils in a 76-60 loss.
“I think we’ve grown a lot from that game,” Hummel said.