MINNEAPOLIS – Friday morning, in the hours leading up to tipoff of the first Big Ten tournament quarterfinal played here in the Twin Cities, Purdue assistant P.J. Thompson asked Lance Jones a standard question.

Are you ready?

The usual fare, perhaps, but for Jones it carried added weight. The last time No. 1-seed Purdue faced Michigan State, Jones — a Southern Illinois transfer — played 27 minutes with little to show for it. The Spartans tagged him for two quick fouls and Jones never really found his way into the game, finishing with one point, two rebounds and three steals.

DOYEL: Michigan State tried to bully Purdue. But these Boilers won't be pushed around.

Thompson won’t have known pregame how much more the Boilermakers would need from Jones, in a stressful 67-62 win, but Jones’ simple answer to Thompson’s simple question proved prophetic.

“Yea,” he replied, “I am.”

Jones finished Friday one of just two Boilermakers (Zach Edey of course the other) to finish in double figures in scoring. Yet it was everywhere else his readiness manifested as winning basketball that made the most difference.

He made the most of 34 minutes, grabbing four rebounds, making 5-of-7 free throws and pocketing Michigan State (19-14) leading scorer Tyson Walker for long stretches — a critical contribution — defensively.

By Purdue coach Matt Painter’s estimate, Jones drew nine of Michigan State’s 29 fouls himself. Only Edey (14), Painter said, drew more. Five of Jones’ nine were charges.

“One of his best games," Painter said.

On a team packed with talking points, Jones isn’t far from top of the list.

A volume scorer across most of his four years in Carbondale, Jones came to West Lafayette knowing full well he would need to earn his minutes with more than just his jump shot. Painter is selective about how he uses the portal, and he knows what all coaches do: Players reliant on their offense to find their way into games can fade out of them if they don’t get to see the ball through the basket often enough.

“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,” Painter said. “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.”

The manner of their NCAA tournament exit aside, teams like Purdue (29-3) aren’t always guaranteed tangible improvement from last season to this one. When you’re already operating at such a high level, growth usually comes along the margins.

But not always.

Painter got important freshman-to-sophomore jumps from Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. Edey will always be Edey. Trey Kaufman-Renn’s growth and a bench’s embrace of the myriad small ways it can impact winning all lend this Purdue team depth last year’s never quite found.

Along the way, the Boilermakers’ coach went into the portal looking for a little something extra. In Jones, he got a lot, no more important stretch Friday than the one Purdue fans might have missed for holding their breath.

Midway through the second half, driving to his left toward the basket, Braden Smith — Purdue’s All-Big Ten sophomore point guard — pulled up lame. He limped off the floor, went to the ground behind the basket and eventually had to be helped off. Smith returned but even Painter recognized postgame the Westfield alum wasn’t quite himself, dealing with what Painter described afterward as a calf problem.

With Smith in the tunnel trying to get right, Purdue put the ball in Jones’ hands. He’s not a point guard by trade, with an assist rate barely over 11% in Big Ten play. But he doesn’t turn the ball over, he doesn’t make bad decisions and on Friday, when his team needed steadiness and sound decision making, Jones delivered both.

“Lance, he can do that,” Edey said. “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.”

Jones’ timing Friday couldn’t have been better. Edey grabbed top billing again, with 29 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. But a game Michigan State turned into a scrap because it had no other way to keep Purdue close still tipped the Boilermakers’ way because of Lance Jones. He added key points, yes, but everything else he provided reverberated through the game as loudly as any individual’s contribution.

“That’s why he’s here,” Smith said. “He’s such a special guy. He plays the right way, and he does everything that’s asked of him. Whether that’s go make a play, play defense, rebound, take charges. Whatever it is, he’s there to do it.”

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball transfer Lance Jones has been perfect fit for Boilers