WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.- The Toledo men's basketball team pulled within five points early in the second half, but No. 21 Purdue pulled away for an 83-64 victory over the Rockets on Sunday evening before a sold-out crowd of 14,876 fans inside Mackey Arena.

"I was happy with how we competed and shared the ball against a very good team," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "We had too many turnovers with 14. A lot of them were live-ball turnovers that led directly to points."

Sophomores Sam Lewis and Sonny Wilson paced the Rockets offensively with 13 points, with Lewis grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds to record his first career double-double. Junior Seth Hubbard also scored 11 points for Toledo, in addition to grabbing a season-high six boards.

Sophomore Braden Smith topped Purdue (9-4) with a career-high 34 points and 12 assists.

Toledo (6-6) grabbed a season-high 17 offensive rebounds and held a 40-33 advantage on the glass. The Rockets held a 34-28 edge in points in the paint as well as an 18-11 margin in second-chance points.

"I was happy with our rebounding against a good rebounding team," Kowalczyk said. "I think we've learned how to compete better in our last two games by facing two of the hardest-playing teams in the country in Houston and Purdue. Now we just have to get some guys playing better. That's the key for us."

Toledo shot 40.6% from the field but was just 2-of-14 (14.3%) from behind the three-point arc. Purdue posted a 49.2% shooting mark and shot 35.7% (10-of-28) from three-point range.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

• Sam Lewis' two free throws following the first media timeout gave Toledo a 10-8 lead.
• A 9-0 run put the Boilermakers in front, 21-12, with 8:26 left in the half.
• Sonny Wilson scored five straight points to bring the Rockets within 31-19 at the 4:16 mark.
• Lewis' floater reduced Purdue's margin to 33-26 less than two minutes before halftime.
• Toledo trailed 39-28 at intermission after shooting 36.4% in the opening 20 minutes.
• Wilson led UT in the first half with seven points, with Grgur Brcic contributing six points.

SECOND HALF

• Toledo climbed back into the game quickly with an 8-0 run that closed the gap to 43-38 at the 16:44 mark. Back-to-back dunks from Lewis and Javan Simmons highlighted the burst.
• Purdue pushed its lead back to 10 less than two minutes later, but Lewis' triple made the score 50-43 with 14:57 to play.
• The Rockets remained within striking distance until a 17-2 spurt put the Boilermakers in control, 72-49, with six minutes remaining.

UP NEXT
Toledo will open Mid-American Conference play on Saturday, Jan. 4 vs. Western Michigan (3-8) before hosting Eastern Michigan (6-5) in its league home opener on Tuesday, Jan. 7.