The benefit of the week off paid early dividends.
Purdue was sharp on offense after the opening tip, executing at a high level to find the open looks and gain momentum. The defense was active, the rebounding was solid, and the Boilermakers were taking care of the ball.
The hustle plays were there as Braden Smith slid across the court to track down a loose ball. Same for reserve Jack Benter, who put his body in jeopardy chasing down a rebound.
But coach Matt Painter’s team didn’t sustain the initial wave of energy on Saturday against Oregon and found itself in a tight battle, one where it had to survive at the end.
And the 12th-ranked Boilermakers did escape against the injury-depleted Ducks, 68-64, thanks to Fletcher Loyer’s late 3-pointer, and now embark on a five-game stretch that will define their Big Ten season and NCAA tournament path.
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PURDUE COACH MATT PAINTER
PURDUE PLAYERS
Purdue will take a two-game winning streak into Tuesday’s matchup at Nebraska, but Saturday’s performance leaves more questions about whether Painter’s team is ready for what’s ahead.
Loyer drained his third 3-pointer of the game from the top of the key to wrestle the lead away from the Ducks, who had controlled the last 10 minutes. Loyer scored the Boilermakers’ final six points in the last 51 seconds.
Purdue had to overcome poor shooting from the perimeter, too many turnovers, a handful of missed free throws, and the return of Oregon’s Nate Bittle. The 7-foot senior missed five games after a foot injury and kept his team within striking distance throughout the final 30 minutes.
Bittle scored 23 points, converting 10 of 14 free throws, and Takal Simpkins added 14 points.
Neither team was effective from the 3-point line, but the Boilermakers’ misses were magnified. Purdue made just five 3-pointers, including one in the final 24 minutes before Loyer delivered the game-winner.
Smith and Loyer combined for 31 points, and Trey Kaufman-Renn and Daniel Jacobson totaled 21 points.
“I SAW SOME SPACE”
Loyer’s game-winning 3-pointer was designed for the senior by assistant coach P.J. Thompson.
Loyer came off a screen set by Jacobson, and Simpkins lost his balance after making contact and fell down, leaving an open look for the sharpshooter. All Loyer had to do was set his feet.
“Luckily, he fell down,” said Loyer, who finished with 18 points. “We got a good look for 3.”
His shot saved the Boilermakers from a shocking loss, one that likely would’ve cost them a chance to stay in the Big Ten race. Instead of falling three games behind Illinois and Michigan, Purdue remains connected to the top of the standings, trailing by two games.
Loyer was hoping Simpkins would help on Smith’s back cut, leaving him open coming off the screen.
“He kind of blew it up and I hesitated, and then he fell down,” said Loyer, who has made 10 3-pointers in the last two games. “Once he fell down, I saw some space.”
While Loyer’s shot will grab the headlines, Painter said his defensive rebound following Kwame Evans’ missed free throw was crucial. The Boilermakers didn’t have to work to get the ball in Loyer’s hands for potential free throws. Loyer shoots 88.1% from the line.
Purdue led 66-64, and Loyer’s two free throws sealed the victory with seven seconds on the clock.
“I thought the best play he made was the rebound off the free throw,” Painter said. “He’s the guy that we wanted at the free throw line.”
“But that shot that he made was huge. I think that broke their back right there, even though you’re in a position where they can still get it. It was still such a huge shot and got our crowd into it.”
FAST START FADES
It lined up perfectly.
A quick start and pinpoint shooting led to a 21-14 advantage, which eventually grew to 27-18 with 7:06 remaining until halftime. Purdue made 13 of its first 21 attempts and appeared on its way to an easy victory against a team that was saddled with an eight-game losing streak.
The fast beginning faded, and the Ducks settled into the game and made the Boilermakers earn this one. It didn’t help that Purdue missed 22 of 29 field goal attempts in the final 21 minutes.
“I thought a lot of really good things happened, but not a lot of really good results,” Painter said of the first 20 minutes, which saw Purdue hold a 36-34 lead.
The Boilermakers had seven turnovers in the first half but shot 55.6% from the field. However, they made just 3 of 11 from 3-point range, a trend that would continue into the second half, and kept Purdue from pulling away.
Add seven more turnovers in the second half, and the Boilermakers struggled to put this game away until the Ducks had too many empty possessions down the stretch.
“I thought the game was the seven straight stops we got at the end to be able to pull that out where we haven’t played well, haven’t taken care of the basketball, just haven’t been consistent,” Painter said. “We had some good spurts there, but we weren’t really good consistently.”
The 14 turnovers were one short of the season high, which happened against Iowa State in December. Smith had six of his team’s turnovers.
The Ducks were able to muck up Purdue’s pick-and-roll, creating turnovers and adding to the frustration.
“I thought the (center) kind of stepped out, and it’s more of a double a little bit,” said Smith, who contributed 13 points and four assists. “It came down to me making the right read. I didn’t complete a lot of passes that should’ve got there and should have led to a lot of easy points.”
Smith became the first player in Big Ten history to have at least 1,000 points and 500 assists in league games only.
“WE FOULED HIM TOO MUCH”
Although Bittle, the Oregon star post player, had missed the last five games with a foot injury, Painter prepared his team with the idea that he would play. And he played well, almost carrying the Ducks to the upset victory.
The issue for Purdue was the number of times it was called for fouls on Bittle. The 11 fouls led to 14 free throw attempts.
“We just fouled him too much,” Painter said. “He’s 1-for-8 from 3, and he got fouled 11 times. We’re fouling too much. You can argue calls all you want. Eleven is a very high number, and we just had to do a better job in that area.”
Bittle’s absence is one reason why the Ducks haven’t won since Jan. 2 at Maryland. But his return gave Oregon hope it could compete with the Boilermakers on their home floor.
Kaufman-Renn helped defend Bittle, but it required a collective approach to slow down one of the league’s top players, who took advantage of mismatches.
“I believe in our guys, but they’re just a completely different team with Bittle back on their team,” Kaufman-Renn said. “He’s a player that your whole team has to be prepared for.
“I don’t think it’s specifically me on him or somebody else on him, I think it’s when he has those naked ball screen pops, you gotta be ready to rotate, and we gotta make sure that it’s big. We gotta steer into the screen.”
In the end, the Boilermakers were able to pull out a close game. That evaded them during their three-game losing streak, dropping games against UCLA, Illinois, and Indiana.
“It was, no doubt, a hard game, but it’s one of those things that we’ve been talking about as a group,” Kaufman-Renn said. “Just trying to stay composed, trying to control the controllables. I’m glad to see we came up with this one.”