Braden Smith's Second-Half Efforts Fuel Purdue Basketball in 75-70 Win Over Marquette
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue basketball, facing its toughest challenge so far this season, was lifted by freshman guard Braden Smith’s second-half scoring efforts in a 75-70 victory against Marquette on Tuesday night in Mackey Arena.
Smith scored 15 of his team-high 20 points after halftime, matching junior center Zach Edey’s scoring output for the Boilermakers, who trailed by as many as nine on their home court. The first-year player sparked a 17-2 run to put the game out of reach and finished 6-of-8 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from the 3-point line.
“He really hasn't played well up to this point,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “I know the first game he had seven steals, but the way he's played in practice for us, he really hasn't put it together until this half.
“But he's capable of doing that. He's capable of looking for his shot, knocking down 3s, getting to the basket and then obviously delivering the basketball.”
Marquette pounced on Purdue early, winning the opening tip before scoring the first seven points of the game. The Golden Eagles controlled the pace of play with aggressive offense and forced the Boilermakers into an early mistake trying to break the press.
Under head coach Shaka Smart, Marquette runs a full-court press that takes full advantage of the team’s athleticism. But Purdue limited its turnovers in the first half, giving the ball away just three times after settling into the contest.
The Golden Eagles entered the matchup averaging 18.5 forced turnovers per game and 21.5 points off those takeaways. The Boilermakers finished with only six turnovers.
“I just like how poised we were throughout the whole game,” said Purdue guard David Jenkins Jr., who scored 10 points in the win. “Obviously, a few turnovers and a few mistakes here and there in the beginning of the game, but we stayed poised through the first and the second half.”
The Boilermakers got back into the game thanks to a 7-0 run, sparked by a 3-pointer by freshman guard Fletcher Loyer. They led 14-13 with 13:55 still to play before halftime, but the Golden Eagles quickly snuffed out the surge and regained the advantage.
After seeing just two shots from beyond the arc fall in last Friday’s game against Austin Peay, Purdue went 6-for-16 from the 3-point line in the first half. When the Boilermakers did manage to pull ahead, it was often short-lived. The team led for a total of just under two minutes before halftime.
Purdue’s largest lead in the opening period was two points, which came as a result of another 7-0 run that was capped by a 3-point basket by Smith. However, without the rebounding advantage, the team was kept at bay.
Marquette came out of the game with a 39-35 advantage on the boards and registered 15 offensive rebounds. But the Golden Eagles only managed six second-chance points as the Boilermakers stayed poised despite the chaos on their end of the court.
“I think it comes down to the chemistry that we have,” Edey said. “When the other team gets an offensive rebound, we're not really getting on each other. We're not getting mad at each other, we're not throwing our hands up and giving up and giving them easy shots.
“That happened, we're gonna move on, we're going to keep playing defense. We're going to play defense a second time, a third time, however many times we need until we get that defensive rebound.”
Marquette found itself ahead entering the second half, going into the locker room with a 34-32 lead. The Golden Eagles were paced by sophomore guard Kam Jones, who scored 16 points — including four 3-pointers — in the first half.
The Boilermakers found a fast start in the second half by getting the ball to Edey early and often. The 7–foot-4 center had just six points before halftime but scored the team’s first eight points after the break. He scored 14 in the second half.
“The matchup that we have there, he causes so many problems,” Painter said of Edey. “And in the first half, I thought both teams had some pretty good execution offensively, but just missed open looks.”
Marquette sucked the air right out of the arena with a 15-3 run before taking a 56-47 lead with 10:55 left to play in the game. Sophomore forward David Joplin, who led all scorers with 21 points, made all of his baskets in the second half. He was 7-of-11 from the field while knocking down five 3-pointers.
But it was the Purdue backcourt that led the charge in mounting a comeback. Jenkins made back-to-back shots, including one of his two 3-pointers on the night, before Smith scored six straight points to ignite a 17-2 run to put the game out of reach.
Smith drove into the lane on a fast break and put up a floater just one possession after hitting a pair of free throws. His shot put the Boilermakers up 65-62 with 4:20 on the clock and forced the Golden Eagles to call a timeout.
“I kind of just threw up the ball and was hoping for a miracle, that's kind of what happened,” said Smith, who added a team-high three assists in the game. “I mean, I got a couple to go so then the guy was coming over to take a charge. So I kind of just threw it up there but hoped for a prayer.”
Smith’s prayer was answered, and it resonated with Purdue enough to hang on to the lead for the rest of the contest. The Boilermakers improved to 3-0 for the second consecutive season and will be back in action on Thursday, Nov. 24, for the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament in Portland, Ore.
You can keep up to date on everything at Boilermakers Country by liking and following our Facebook page: Purdue Boilermakers on Sports Illustrated/FanNation.
You can also follow D.J. Fezler at @DJFezler on Twitter.
