Boilermakers Country

Confident Shooting From Eric Hunter Jr. Helping Purdue Basketball in Postseason Run

Purdue was ahead of Michigan State by just one points before Eric Hunter Jr. nailed two 3-pointers, helping the team push its lead back to double-digits. He scored all 11 of his points in the second half of a 75-70 win in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals Saturday.

D.J. Fezler

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Not only has Eric Hunter Jr. connected on more shots as of late for Purdue basketball, but he's hitting them in key moments. 

Whether it's an open 3-point jumper or back-door cut to the basket that gets him an easy layup, the senior guard has shown up for his team at opportune times as the Boilermakers continue to grind out victories in closely-contested matchups. 

"I've been in a lot of games like that. Later games, it's tighter," Hunter said. "When we're on the other side of that, you see other teams, you see guys who step up and hit big shots. I just want to be one of those guys for our team." 

Hunter was just that Saturday against Michigan State in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal matchup inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Boilermakers led by as many as 13 points, but the Spartans chipped away at the deficit and brought the game to within one point with 5:45 to play in the second half. 

That was when Hunter buried back-to-back 3-pointers before adding a layup during a 10-1 scoring run for Purdue. All three came on the tail end of pinpoint passes from senior center Trevion Williams, and his timely buckets pushed the lead back to double-digits. 

"I thought that was kind of the decisive run for us to help us push the lead back out and kind of keep it there and never let them get back to two possessions," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. 

Hunter scored all 11 of his points in the second half of a 75-70 victory over Michigan State, propelling the team to a Big Ten Tournament championship appearance against Iowa. 

He was 4-6 from the floor for the game, including 2-3 from the 3-point line. Hunter also notched two rebounds, two assists and a steal. He registered just eight points in Friday's win over Penn State, with a pair of shots falling through the rim from beyond the arc. 

And Hunter knows by now that when he's open on the 3-point line when Williams has the ball on the block, he needs to be ready. The basketball is going to find its way to his hands, and it's coming fast. 

The two seniors have innate chemistry after practicing together for so long, and it's helped the Boilermakers extend leads in their final season together. 

"I wouldn't want to be on the court with anybody else," Williams said. "We practice a lot together off the court, outside of practice. We do those little things aside from when we're at practice. He's been through it with me since my freshman year. 

"We've been to an Elite Eight game. We've pretty much seen it all. We've been a part of losing teams, been a part of winning teams. Just to have someone like that to go through it with you, it means the world. I know he wants to win just as bad as I do, so that's kind of where that connection comes from."

Of course, Hunter understands that maybe it's not his role to be a primary scorer for this particular Purdue team. He's fulfilled his responsibilities as a ball-handler, as a defender, and as a leader. 

But it doesn't hurt to have a hot hand once in a while. And when things get tough for the Boilermakers late in games, Hunter seems to always be there to hit a big shot.  

“For me, it’s always been a confidence thing,” he said. “I keep telling myself it’s hoops. I’m playing basketball and I’ve been playing basketball forever. I’ve never not had confidence in my shot.”

Stories Related to Purdue Basketball

  • PURDUE SURGES PAST MICHIGAN STATE: After both teams struggled in the first half, Purdue and Michigan lit up the scoreboard after halftime with a spot in the Big Ten Tournament finals on the line. The Boilermakers, led by Jaden Ivey's 22 points, made enough plays to keep control of the game and walk away with a win. CLICK HERE
  • WHAT MATT PAINTER SAID AFTER THE WIN: Here's what Purdue head coach Matt Painter said after the team's 75-70 win over Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Below is the full transcript from his postgame press conference. CLICK HERE
  • WHAT JADEN IVEY, TREVION WILLIAMS SAID AFTER THE WIN: Here's what Purdue players Jaden Ivey and Trevion Williams said after the team's 75-70 win over Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Below is the full transcript from their postgame press conference. CLICK HERE
  • PURDUE, MICHIGAN STATE PHOTO GALLERY: Look at 30 photos from Purdue's 75-70 win over Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. CLICK HERE
  • PURDUE, MICHIGAN STATE LIVE BLOG: Relive Purdue's victory over Michigan State with all the play-by-play action, right here in our live blog. CLICK HERE 
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D.J. Fezler
D.J. FEZLER

D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball. 

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