Davis leads Purdue in Italian rout

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Rapheal Davis could not have asked for much better of a college basketball debut than he got on Thursday.

The Fort Wayne native scored a team-best 15 points and led Purdue to an 80-38 exhibition win over All-Star Italy. The game was the first of four as part of an Italian tour.

Tied at nine with roughly six minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Boilermakers closed the period on a 14-1 run and never trailed again.

Purdue shot 49.2 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from the arc, while forcing All Star Italy into nearly 20 turnovers in the win.

Davis sank 5-of-9 shots from the field and connected on each of his four free throws. He also hit his only three-point attempt and added a pair of steals on the defensive end.

Davis' debut wasn't the only solid one, redshirt freshman Donnie Hale notched a double-double after sitting out last season.

Hale was a force on both ends of the floor, collecting five offensive rebounds among his 11 on the night and scoring the majority of his 11 points on put-backs at the rim.

Also contributing was junior center Sandi Marcius, who grabbed a dozen rebounds to lead the Boilermakers. He also scored eight points.

In the backcourt, junior guard Terone Johnson tallied nine points and three assists.

Senior guard D.J. Byrd and freshman guard Ronnie Johnson also dished out a trio of assists, while Byrd finished also scored eight poiunts.

Sophomore guard Anthony Johnson also scored eight points, while he and Byrd combined to shoot 4-of-7 (.571) from three-point range.

Making his Purdue debut was freshman center A.J. Hammons, who pulled down six boards. Junior forward Travis Carroll chipped in with five rebounds and senior guard Dru Anthrop led all players with four of his team's 13 steals.

Prior to the game, members of the Purdue basketball program were treated to a tour of Vatican City, visiting the museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.

On Friday, the team will visit the Coliseum and the Roman Forum in the morning before having the rest of the day to themselves.

The Boilermakers will face Atletas Kaunas in Montecatini, near Florence on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. (EDT).

nssports@news-sentinel.com