PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Despite 16 points and eight rebounds from senior forward Kadeem Jack, Rutgers (10-16, 2-11) fell, 61-51, to Purdue (16-9, 8-4) Thursday night at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights forced 12 Boilermaker turnovers and blocked four shots in the loss.

RU played impressive defense, limiting Purdue to 40 percent (21-of-52) shooting from the field. But the Scarlet Knights struggled to find their shot, making 33 percent (18-of-54) of their field goal attempts.

Etou provided RU with an offensive spark to start the contest, drilling two three-pointers in the opening four minutes of action. His second triple with 16:24 left in the first half made it 8-6 in favor of the Boilermakers.

From there, both teams continued to trade baskets, with a jump shot from senior guard Myles Mack tying the score at 12 at the 12:38 mark in the opening period.

After the Mack score, defense was at a premium, as the Scarlet Knights forced eight Purdue turnovers and blocked three shots before halftime. But The Boilermakers utilized a 17-4 scoring run to conclude the half, heading into the locker room with a 29-16 lead.

Etou had six rebounds in the first half to go along with eight points, which led all players before the midpoint.

Rutgers attempted a comeback early in the second half. Junior guard Bishop Daniels converted an impressive driving layup at the 18:28 mark, cutting Purdue's lead to 29-19.

The Boilermakers utilized a 19-9 scoring run after the Daniels basket to go up by 20 with 7:27 left to play. RU countered with an 11-1 scoring run of its own, with a driving layup from junior guard Nkereuwem Okoro cutting Purdue's lead to 49-39.

Jack than converted a midrange jump shot on the following offensive possession to bring the deficit to single digits, making it a 49-41 score. But despite the Scarlet Knight's continued effort down the stretch, Purdue would hold on for the victory.

Boilermaker center A.J. Hammons led all scorers with 17 points, while guard Rapheal Davis joined Hammons in double figures with 13 points for Purdue.

Rutgers returns to the hardwood on Thursday (Feb. 19), when they travel to Iowa. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. with the game televised live on ESPNU.

POST-GAME NOTES

• Kadeem Jack led the Scarlet Knights with 16 points and eight rebounds. Jack paced the team in scoring for the eighth time this season and 20^th time in his career.
• Jack was the team's leading rebounder for the 11^th time this season and 38^th time in his career.
• Jack has scored in double figures 16 times this season (48 career).
• Myles Mack had three steals. He now has 200 steals for his career. He sits second on Rutgers' all-time steals list, 20 behind head coach Eddie Jordan.
• Shaquille Doorson tied his career-high with two blocks.
• Rutgers outscored the Boilermakers 35-32 in the second half, finishing the game on a 23-13 run.
• RU held Purdue to 20 percent from 3-point distance (3-of-15). It was the sixth time this season Rutgers held an opponent to 20 percent or lower from 3-point range.
• The Scarlet Knights held a 42-35 advantage in rebounds, the sixth time RU had a rebounding advantage in conference play.
• 17 NBA Scouts/personnel were issued credentials for the contest.

POST-GAME QUOTES

Rutgers Head Coach Eddie Jordan:

Opening Statement: "As you can see, we didn't play very well. It wasn't pretty but we never gave up. Purdue is a good team and very well coached. They're 8-4 in the league. They've gone through some woes but they have come out from it very well. We just couldn't match up with them. They did a good job defensively, switching screens out there and we couldn't get to the basket. But I liked the way we played in the last eight minutes."

On Rutgers' shot selection: "Like I said, it wasn't pretty. They did a good job defensively; we just need to get some package where we can get Myles some scores. When people take away Myles, we have a hard time doing things. So other guys just have to step up and we need to do better and execute better."

On the play of Nkereuwem Okoro: "Kerwin did some good things and he has some good size. Kerwin and I had some conversations last week and we just wanted him to simplify the game and he's been doing well in practice."

On what the team can build on from its performance: "We have a good locker room and a good support system with our players. Guys who don't play a lot cheer and support their teammates. We didn't give up. We fought our butts off in the end, got some rebounds and got to the rim at the end. [Purdue] is big and talented. What we can build on is that we gave great effort. Every day is a fresh effort and a new day. There is nothing behind us and a whole lot in front of us that day. Today, we didn't come out on top, but some good things happened at the end."

On how the team is keeping things positive: "Good coaches and good character guys. We have good character in that locker room. They support each other and understand it's a process. They are learning how to play basketball. They've had some ups and downs in terms of the learning curb. Some days they are a little bit down, but our coaches do a good job of telling them what this is about. The Big Ten is a no-joke league. We're just coming in and trying to play up to that level and it's going to take time."

Purdue Head Coach Matt Painter:

On the defense: "I thought we did a good job. We just tried to keep the ball in front of us. We struggled keeping them off the glass at times. I thought we did a good job of just keeping them in front of us. Etou hit a couple of those three's early and then Mack got a couple of three's late. But in between there, we did a good job of guarding the arc and not letting them get post-ups."

On turnovers in the first half: "Yeah we really hurt ourselves and weren't able to extend the lead in the first half, but you gotta give them credit. It's hard. I've been in that position that they're in, trying to complete some plays and get a series of good offensive plays and defensive stops and just hard to put some things together at times. We were able to do a little better job in that area but we just didn't have that consistency to where we could get the game totally out of reach."

On overcoming offensive woes and still being able to score: "I thought our guys did a good job. We had some careless turnovers but I thought that they hung in there. We had that stretch that they showed some discipline after having a couple of plays that were ill-advised. For us, it's been frustrating because we feel the shots were missing at times especially from the perimeter. Our good shots by guys that can make them but we just hadn't been able to knock them down and we're looking forward to that day."

On guarding Myles Mack: "We wanted to stay connected to him and make him drive the basketball, especially into our help and not get those rhythm three's. He's a streaky player. When he gets his head up and makes a couple, he can carry them."