WEST LAFAYETTE — No. 5 Purdue men’s basketball followed another superb Braden Smith performance to a 93-85 victory over Penn State on Saturday at Mackey Arena.
The Boilermakers (15-1, 5-0 Big Ten) won their seventh straight as Smith, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, led with 26 points and 14 assists.
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Here’s what I liked and disliked, and what the Boilers’ win means.
What I liked in Purdue basketball’s win vs Penn State
Smith admitted at Wisconsin it had been hard to completely put all thoughts of assists records out of his head. Maybe passing that Big Ten record freed him up a bit to go back on the hunt for buckets. He came out scorching from mid-range and distance while scoring 17 in the first half.
It remains true that when Smith is locked in as a scorer it only enhances his talents as a facilitator. He assisted on three baskets during a 15-5 run to open the second half, giving him 10 for the game, and finished with 14.
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∙ C.J. Cox can really whip up a crowd. He finished a couple of fast-break chances around the five-minute mark to give Boilers some breathing room. For a while it appeared Purdue would need every one of his 16 points – and the 17 Fletcher Loyer added one one of his better shooting nights in a couple of weeks.
∙ Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn drew fouls on back-to-back offensive rebound tries in the second half. The cumulative impact of the Boiler bigs cannot be understated. Of course they impact in more tangible ways, too, such as Cluff’s 19 points and seven rebounds and Kaufman-Renn’s four assists down low.
∙ I don’t know how many charges Jack Benter has taken this season but it seems like at least a half dozen already. He took an important one in the middle of a 9-0 first-half run – one of three consecutive turnovers by PSU. Alas, his streak of 10 consecutive 3s – longest in team history and tied for longest in the nation this season – ended with a first-half try rimmed out.
What I disliked in Purdue basketball’s win vs Penn State
Purdue’s recent defensive advancements came via playing better on-ball defense and stringing together stops. It didn’t do either especially well in the first 20 minutes Saturday. Only twice in the first half did it achieve a “kill” — Painter’s term for three straight stops.
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Penn State responded by shooting way, way over its head. It came in at a Big Ten-worst 32.3% from 3-point range. Then it hit 8 of 17 in the first half. Melih Tunca banked one in to stop an 11-3 Boiler run late in the half. That started a streak of the Lions scoring on six of seven possessions going into halftime.
The Nittany Lions crashed back to earth in the second half, missing their first six tries from 3. But they attacked the basket enough to stay within a couple of possessions for most of the afternoon.
∙ Cluff and Daniel Jacobsen combined to go 3 for 7 on free throws. A bigger problem in a tighter game, but also an outlier. Both came in shooting over 70% for the season.
Insider: Winning weird proved fine for one night, but Purdue basketball’s response matters
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What Purdue basketball’s win vs Penn State means
The Nittany Lions showed their toughness earlier this week when they pushed Michigan to the edge despite playing without top scorer Kayden Mingo. They didn’t have him again Saturday and still gave Purdue plenty to worry about.
On the same day Michigan lost at home to the same Wisconsin team Purdue whipped a week ago, the Boilers joined Nebraska as the only teams still perfect in Big Ten play.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue Penn State score, Big Ten basketball record, Braden Smith stats
