FORT WAYNE − Purdue basketball found its first road trip of the season to possess a tougher challenge than its first exhibition game.
Ultimately, the Boilermakers had enough firepower to topple Purdue Fort Wayne 93-62 at Memorial Coliseum.
Purdue used a late first half surge and a dominant second half to pull away from the Mastodons.
Along the way, the Boilers shot 58.1%, including going 13-for-33 from 3-point range.
Purdue basketball turning point vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Purdue was marred by a few ugly 3-point shots and three early turnovers in a game that was tied at 19 past the midway point of the first half. Back-to-back 3s by CJ Cox and Omer Mayer followed a pair of Daniel Jacobsen free throws.
The Boilermakers outscored Fort Wayne 23-12 over the final 7:06 of the first half and led 42-31 at halftime. Purdue was mostly on cruise control from there.
More: Purdue basketball can't pinpoint potential leading scorer, but Antione West can
Game MVP
There is no definitive alpha leader on this team. But it feels like this is CJ Cox's team. The third-year starter has owned that through two exhibition games. After scoring 15 points and making 5 of 6 3-pointers against Ball State last Sunday, Cox's shot making again lifted the Boilermakers.
Cox made 6 of 9 field goals and scored 13 points to go with 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 21 minutes. Through two exhibition games, Cox is shooting 64.7% and averaging 14 points in 37 total minutes.
3 more stars for Purdue basketball vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Antione West: At one point, West made three straight 3-point attempts. His banked 3-pointer got Purdue out of a funk where it had five empty possessions on its previous six trips on offense. West finished with 16 points, 3 rebounds and a steal.
Jack Benter: Coach Matt Painter acknowledged Benter's assists-to-turnover ration (14-to-1) in competitive practice drills. What Painter didn't mention was Benter's rebounding. The redshirt sophomore put that on display Thursday. Benter finished with 10 boards to go with
Omer Mayer: After four years of watching a table setter play point guard in Braden Smith, Purdue is getting treated to a score-first mentality at the position. Mayer scored 15 points to go with 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue basketball's second half surge carries Boilers past Purdue Fort Wayne