Purdue basketball wins Italian opener

ROME, Italy (WLFI) - ROME – Rapheal Davis led the way with 15 points and Donnie Hale put up a double-double as the Purdue men’s basketball team stormed to an 80-38 victory over All Star Italy in the opener of its four-game Italian tour.

Tied 9-9 with roughly six minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Boilermakers closed the period on a 14-1 run and never looked back. Purdue shot 49.2 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from the arc, while forcing All Star Italy into nearly 20 turnovers in the win.

Not only was Davis the Boilers’ leading scorer, the freshman was also one of their most efficient scorers, knocking down 5-of-9 shots from the field and sinking all four of his free throw attempts. The Ft. Wayne, Ind., native was also successful on his only three-point try of the night, and added a pair of steals on the defensive end.

Hale was a force on both ends of the floor, collecting five offensive rebounds among his 11 on the night and scoring the majority of his 11 points on put-backs at the rim. Junior forward Sandi Marcius bested Hale by one for game-high honors on the boards, grabbing 12 to go along with eight points.

Junior guard Terone Johnson tallied nine points and three assists on the evening, sharing team-high honors with senior guard/forward D.J. Byrd and freshman guard Ronnie Johnson in the latter category. Byrd and sophomore guard Anthony Johnson each went for eight points, and combined to shoot 4-of-7 (.571) from three-point range.

Freshman center A.J. Hammons had six rebounds in the win, and junior forward Travis Carroll chipped in with five. Senior guard Dru Anthrop led all players with four steals, pacing the Boilers to 13 for the game.

Earlier on Thursday, the Boilermakers were treated to a tour of Vatican City, visiting the museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. On Friday, the team will visit the Coliseum and the Roman Forum in the morning before having the rest of the day to themselves.

The Boilermakers next game will take place on Sunday, when they face Atletas Kaunas in Montecatini, near Florence. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. ET).