WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team came up empty-handed in its Saturday game at Purdue, losing 81-49 to the Big Ten foe at Mackey Arena.
 
The Boilermakers (3-2), who are receiving votes in both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Poll, overpowered the Gamecocks (1-3) to hand them their third loss to a high-major-or-better program of the season.
 
"We missed some easy shots early and struggled to score," head coach Ray Harper said. "Give Purdue credit because they're physical and they have size, but we got man-handled.
 
"But there were some bright spots. Juwan Perdue, who was great in eight minutes off the bench, will get some opportunities if he keeps playing like that, and we cut down on turnovers."
 
For the third time in four games, sophomore De'Torrion Ware was JSU's scoring leader, tallying 13 points in the road contest.
 
JSU limited its turnovers to single digits for the second time this year, committing just eight the entire game, but the Purdue defense held the visiting offense to 27.1 percent shooting en route to the 32-point victory.
 
Maros Zeliznak put the Gamecocks on the board with a free throw and Ty Hudson hit a basket soon after to put JSU up 3-2 in the early goings, but Purdue answered with 14 straight points. The Boilermakers held Jacksonville State scoreless for longer than six minutes, pushing ahead and taking a 16-3 lead with 12:44 remaining in the half.
 
Kayne Henry broke the scoreless streak with a 3-pointer – his first of two – while Derrick Cook and Ware each tallied a couple of baskets before the break. Meanwhile, Purdue hit a four-minute, 15-point run that saw its lead grow to 27.
 
A Ware 3-pointer just before the half put the Gamecocks in the 20s and served as the fifth JSU basket of the game. The Boilermakers led 40-13 when the teams retreated to the locker rooms.
 
Following his trey before the break, Ware tallied eight points in the second period. The guard was 2-for-5 from the field and hit four of four free-throw attempts, outdone by only Derek St. Hilaire, who scored all nine of his points in the closing half.
 
St. Hilaire, who made his first career start Saturday, was 3-for-6 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers.
 
On the Purdue side of the scorebook, the Boilermakers were led by starting center Matt Haarms, who totaled 17 points on six baskets. The big man was a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.
 
Of Jacksonville State's three losses, two are to teams that were ranked in either the USA Today Coaches Poll or AP Poll in the preseason and are currently receiving votes in both polls.
 
Next on the schedule for Jacksonville State is the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Fla. The Gamecocks take on Chicago State on Friday, Nov. 29 at 11 a.m. before meeting either Alabama State or Chattanooga on Nov. 30. 
 
For more information on the JSU men's basketball team, follow the Gamecocks on Twitter (@JSUGamecocksMBB) and Instagram (@JSUGamecocksMBB). For more on all Gamecocks sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of JSU Athletics on Twitter (@JSUGamecocks), Facebook (Facebook.com/JSUGamecocks) and Instagram (@JSUGamecocks).