Swanigan leads No. 17 Purdue past NJIT, 79-68

(AP) Caleb Swanigan had 22 points and 13 rebounds, and freshman guard Carsen Edwards added 19 points, leading No. 17 Purdue to a 79-68 victory over NJIT on Saturday.

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Swanigan was a perfect 6 of 6 from the field and 10 of 10 from the free throw line, and Edwards scored 15 second-half points to help Purdue (5-1) pull away from a slim 37-34 halftime lead.

Swanigan was the MVP of this week's Cancun Challenge, and Edwards scored a career-high 21 points in Wednesday night's victory over Auburn in the championship game.

Damon Lynn had 20 of his 33 points in the second half for NJIT (3-4), which also got 12 points from Chris Jenkins.

The momentum swung completely in Purdue's favor with 9:12 remaining when Rob Ukawuba fouled Swanigan and also was whistled for a technical foul. Swanigan made four consecutive free throws for a 61-47 lead.

BIG PICTURE

NJIT: With Lynn, the Highlanders have a proven scorer (22.5 points a game) and never backed down from a Purdue team that came in averaging 83 points and shooting 51.9 percent from the field. Beginning with Dec. 30, 2014, NJIT is 39-22.

Purdue: The Boilermakers were sloppy with 10 first-half turnovers in their first game since winning the Cancun Challenge, but with Carsen Edwards and Vince Edwards beginning to complement big men Swanigan and Isaac Haas, Purdue is assembling a really nice blend of interior and perimeter scoring options.

UP NEXT

NJIT: The Highlanders will play host to St. Francis (Pa.) on Wednesday night.

Purdue: The Boilermakers will travel to No. 10 Louisville on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.