Lance Jones may not have always been a member of Purdue basketball, but the fifth year senior transfer guard has had quite the impact on the Boilermakers.
And, that was extremely evident Friday against Michigan State. When sophomore point guard Braden Smith went down with a calf injury, Jones stepped up, shouldered the load and got it done on both ends of the floor for Purdue basketball.
Jones played 34 minutes, pulled down four rebounds, was near perfect from the free throw line (5-of-7) and harassed Michigan State standout Tyson Walker defensively. He also drew five charges defensively, something Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter was impressed with.
“Who the hell takes five charges in a game,” Painter asked following the game.
Painter acknowledged Jones has evolved in his lone season with Purdue basketball.
“He was more of a scorer when we got him. A lot of times those guys kind of find their way through a game with their scoring, so they bring that energy when the ball’s going in, and then they’ve got bad body language when they don’t. For him, for the most part this year, he’s been great. Whether the ball goes in or it doesn’t go in, he’s been able to do little things and help us win. We knew it right away from talking to all of his coaches that he was coming to Purdue to try to help us win. You can’t have enough guys like that,” Painter said.
And, the Boilermakers would need Jones when Smith went down and hobbled to the locker room area.
With the point guard out, Jones accepted the role of point guard and stepped up, much to surprise of nobody, including Purdue big man Zach Edey.
“Lance, he can do that. We’re confident in him doing that. I wasn’t worried at all when Lance had to step into that role. I’ve been with him in practice. I know the type of work he puts in,” Edey said.
Painter agreed.
“He was solid, took care of the basketball and we are very fortunate to have him,” Painter said.
Top seeded Purdue will take on Wisconsin Saturday in the semi-finals of the Big Ten Tournament at 1 p.m. after the Badgers defeated Northwestern Friday.
