HARTFORD, CT. — An injury scare from sophomore guard Nojel Eastern didn’t deter the Purdue Boilermakers from getting an opening round win over Old Dominion in the NCAA Tournament.
Final score was 61-48.
Eastern said he tweaked his ankle during warm-ups before the game, so he sat out the entire first half to get treatment. That forced head coach Matt Painter to start freshman guard Eric Hunter.
“I didn’t have time to get nervous,” Hunter said after the game. “I looked Nojel, he shook his head ‘no’, Coach Painter pointed at me and that’s how I knew I was starting.”
With no Nojel Eastern in the first half, junior guard Carsen Edwards stepped up helping build a 13 point first half lead. Edwards finished with 26 points.
Sophomore center Matt Haarms added 13 points. Aaron Wheeler, who happens to be from Connecticut, had seven points off the bench.
The Boilermakers will take on the defending national champion Villanova in the Round of 32.
(PHOTO: Rob Carr/Getty Images)
