WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- No. 18 Purdue currently has only eight healthy scholarship players. At this point in the season, it hasnt been a problem.Isaac Haas scored 14 points, Caleb Swanigan had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Dakota Mathias added 12 points on four 3-pointers, leading the Boilermakers to a 77-53 victory over Cleveland State on Saturday.Fifth-year graduate student point guard Spike Alnrecht (back) and sophomore forward Jacquil Taylor (foot surgery) are out indefinitely. However, Purdue is getting balanced scoring and solid defense from its eight healthy scholarship players.The Boilermakers (8-2) finished the first half on a 12-0 run to lead 41-20 and never were threatened thereafter, leading by as many as 27 points in the second half.That run to close the first half was huge, especially since they had started to make shots right before that and had a little momentum going, Mathias said. Coming out of that last media timeout, we had to close out the first half strong, so we did. We were aggressive and got into the passing lanes.It was a 5:15 stretch Cleveland State would like to forget.The run to close the first half was big for (Purdue) after we cut it to nine, Cleveland State coach Gary Waters said. We made some errors, they started hitting some shots and they picked up their defense. They are a great team, and thats what great teams do.Bobby Word had 14 points to lead Cleveland State (3-6), which shot only 26.7 percent (8 of 30) during the pivotal first half. Vikings leading scorers Word, Rob Edwards and Demonte Flannigan scored only 24 combined points on 9-of-35 shooting from the field.Vince Edwards added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Boilermakers, who have won each of their past three games by at least 24 points. Mathias finished with six rebounds, seven assists and no turnovers to go with his 12 points in 26 minutes.Vince Edwards had a lot to do with that 12-0 run to close the first half, and right now, having the balance that we have is a really good thing, Purdue coach Matt Painter said. Our guys were ready to play today, including Dakota, who really did a nice defensive job on Edwards. We relaxed a little bit once we got a 20-point lead, but sometimes that happens.Edwards liked the way Purdue limited the Vikings to 31.3 percent shooting (20 of 64).Guys did a really good job on defense and with help defense, Edwards said. We were really helping each other out by scrambling on the floor. I think that made a big difference. We were active, and we also were getting on the glass.The Boilermakers outrebounded the Vikings, 44-34.BIG PICTURECleveland State: The Vikings, who came to Purdue having won two in a row, stayed close for a while by making seven 3-pointers in the first 24:04 but had no answer for Purdues 7-2 Haas and 6-8 Swanigan.Purdue: The Boilermakers once again featured a solid blend of interior and perimeter scoring to win for the seventh time in the past eight games. Purdue entered this game shooting 44.8 percent from 3-point range -- second best nationally -- and shot 43.8 percent from beyond the arc in the first half Saturday.POLL IMPLICATIONSHaving won three in a row by 34, 33 and now 24 points, Purdue likely has positioned itself to move up from No. 18 in the next AP Top 25. Purdue has been a Top 25 team in 24 consecutive polls.UP AND DOWN DAYSwanigan added another double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds but was not happy after making eight of the Boilermakers 15 turnovers.Its not on the team, its on me and Vince Edwards because the last game we had a lot of turnovers, but Vince cut his down to two, and I have to try to do that, Swanigan said.UP NEXTCleveland State: The Vikings play on Dec. 17, at Ohio University.Purdue: The Boilermakers will play No. 23 Notre Dame on Dec. 17 in Indianapolis Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Pittsburgh Pirates Pro Shop .In my heart and mind Im competing for India, luge competitor Shiva Keshavan told The Associated Press in an email interview. Every day Im flooded with messages from Indians all over the world telling me they are supporting me. Stitched Pirates Jerseys . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. Cheap Pirates Jerseys . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. A lot of Chicago Cubs fans have waited a long time to see them win the championship. In this case, it feels like forever.How many people can say they went to the very first World Series game at Wrigley Field?That was in 1929, and future Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens was there. He was in the box seats behind third base a few Octobers later, too, and saw Babe Ruth call his shot.Very definitely, Stevens told The Associated Press this week by phone from Florida. He pointed his bat.Now, at 96 and outdating the ivy on the outfield walls at the cherished ballpark, Stevens planned to be at Game 4 Saturday night when his Cubs host the Cleveland Indians.And he had a playful wish. Well, beyond the obvious.Tossing out a ball from the mound at Wrigley, as he did in 2005. Only this time, at the World Series.Id love to, the veteran right-hander said. Id like to see if I can throw it over the plate again.Stevens said he was still on that bench, but added with a bright tone, I suppose theres a couple days left.The Cubs won 5-1 Wednesday night in Cleveland to tie things at one game apiece. The Series shifts to the city where Stevens grew up for Game 3 Friday night.Not since 1908 have the Cubs won the World Series. They were led by the Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance double play combination that became famed in verse -- the same year, Take Me Out to the Ball Game was written.Born in 1920, Stevens said he has no recollection from his boyhood days of older friends and family members talking about that championship club.Of the some 7.4 billion people on the planet, no telling for sure if theres anyone around who would recall those Cubs.They are alive, but do they remember? said Robert Young, a senior consultant for gerontology for Guinness World Records. I think theres probably a few.Young estimates there are 4,000 people around the globe who were alive theen, most of them outside the United States.ddddddddddddIts amazing to me the Cubs franchise lasted that long without winning, he added.Before the World Series opener, Stevens had already formed his opinion on the outcome.I think the only question is whether it will be four straight or whether it will take five games for us to win it in Chicago, he said.And even though the Indians and their crowd have been waiting since 1948 for a crown, its been much longer on the North Side of Chicago.The Cubs are entitled to win in this one, I think, he said.Justice for the Cubs, so to speak.Stevens served on the Supreme Court from 1975 to 2010 and in his chambers he had an autographed photo of Cubs great Ernie Banks and a jersey of Chicago pitcher Mark Prior.Stevens also had a framed scorecard from the 1932 game when Ruth pointed. It was a gift long ago from a fellow law clerk, who knew Stevens had seen the Bambino that afternoon as a 12-year-old.As a kid, he followed the Cubs in the fledging days of radio. With more modern devices, Stevens rooted for them as often as he could this season.The Cubs began their drive to end the championship drought this year at spring training in the Phoenix suburbs -- in 1908, Arizona wasnt even a state.They led the majors with 103 wins, but Stevens wasnt about to celebrate early. After so many years of hope and so little success, this is their first World Series trip since 1945.Its hard to acknowledge, but it happened, he said.Just like Stevens imagined, sort of. Shortly before opening day, he told the AP he was anticipating big things from this new, talented bunch of Cubs.I dont think its a question of whether theyll win a championship, he said then. Its whether Ill still be here to see it. ' ' '