Purdue squeaks past Siena thanks to late run

LAKE BUENA VISTA — A.J. Hammons scored a team-high 16 points and came up with  9 rebounds, helping the Purdue Boilermakers comeback from a 13-point halftime deficit to defeat the Siena Saints 68-63 at the Old Spice Classic on Sunday.

Siena dominated during the first half, jumping out to a 13 point lead going into the half. The Saints shot 61.5% from the field in the opening half, compared to the 38.5% Purdue shot.

Purdue came out in the second half looking like a different team.

Boilermakers guard Ronnie Johnson scored 12 points in the second half, 10 of which came on free throws.

Hammond finished the game going 7-9 from the floor, while Jay Simpson added 10 points of his own for Purdue. The Boilermakers ended the game on a 9-0 run, as they went on to snap their two-game losing streak.

With the win on Sunday Purdue improves their record to 6-2, with both of their losses coming in the tournament.

Siena is currently on a four-game losing streak, including three losses during the tournament.

The Boilermakers will now return to Indiana to face Boston College on Dec. 4, while the 2-7 Saints will no travel back to New York to face Niagara on Dec. 6.