EAST LANSING, Mich. – JaJuan Johnson had 20 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks to lead No. 8 Purdue to a 67-47 win over Michigan State on Sunday.
The Boilermakers (24-5, 13-3 Big Ten) have won six straight to surge into contention for the conference title.
They took control with a 16-5 run midway through the first half and turned the road game into a rout with a 19-4 spurt in the second half that gave them a 57-35 lead.
Purdue won both regular-season matchups against the Spartans for the first time since 1997 and handed them their worst home loss since Duke's 22-point win at the Breslin Center on Dec. 3, 2003.
E'Twaun Moore scored 17 and Lewis Jackson had 16 points for the Boilermakers.
The Spartans (16-12, 8-8) had won two straight and three of four to improve their shot at playing in a 14th straight NCAA tournament, but can't afford to fare poorly this week at home against last-place Iowa and on the road against rival Michigan before the Big Ten tournament.
Michigan State's Kalin Lucas scored 15 of his 23 points in the first half and didn't get much help. Lucas limped off the court at halftime, favoring his right leg, but played another 18 minutes in the second. He more than tripled the scoring of any of his teammates.
Draymond Green scored seven, Mike Kebler had six points and slumping senior Durrell Summers scored just three on 1-of-4 shooting.
Johnson had 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in the first half alone, and Purdue led 33-24.
The 6-foot-10, 221-pound center had plenty of help, but he was quite impressive himself.
He was 8 of 13 from the field on an array on low-post moves, fadeaway jumpers and made both of the 3-pointers he attempted. Johnson's defense inside was one of the reasons Michigan State connected on just one-third of its shots.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.