5 Thoughts From No. 5 Purdue's 79-72 Win Over Iowa
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The 100th consecutive sellout at Mackey Arena resulting in a thrilling contest. Although Iowa gave fifth-ranked Purdue a major run for its money, the Boilermakers were able to prevail with a 79-72 win and improve to 6-0 in Big Ten play and 16-1 overall.
After going scoreless in the first half, Braden Smith led the way with 16 points and eight assists for the Boilermakers. Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 12, Fletcher Loyer added 11, and Oscar Cluff finished with 10 points.
Here are a few quick thoughts following Purdue's win over Iowa.
Battling through early foul trouble
Purdue found itself facing some adversity early in the first half on Wednesday night. While trying to fly in and grab a rebound, Trey Kaufman-Renn picked up his second foul at the 12:51 mark of the first half. Then, with 8:01 remaining until halftime, Oscar Cluff was whistled for his second foul.
For the final eight minutes of the first half, Purdue had to rely on the bench play of Daniel Jacobsen and Jack Benter to get to the locker room, and both delivered. Benter knocked down two big threes in the first half and Jacobsen closed out the half with five points and seven rebounds.
Yes, Purdue trailed Iowa 34-31 at the break, but it could have been lopsided. The play of Jacobsen and Benter off the bench was pivotal to keeping the Boilermakers within striking distance.
Daniel Jacobsen comes up big
Speaking of Jacobsen, the 7-foot-4 center had a big night when Purdue needed it most. With both Cluff and Kaufman-Renn on the bench in the first half, he had five points and grabbed seven boards in 13 minutes.
Jacobsen was only on the floor for five minutes in the second half, but was still productive in that span, grabbing two more rebounds and scoring two more points. He ended the game with seven points, nine rebounds, and a block. He was one of the underrated factors in Wednesday night's win.
Struggled to defend the three
For a second straight game, Purdue really struggled to close out on three-point shooters. The Hawkeyes knocked down 7-of-10 shots from behind the arc in the first half, most of those coming from wide-open looks. Iowa did get a few friendly rolls from the rim, too.
Iowa came back down to earth a little bit in the second half, but still made 12-of-25 shots from three-point range. Last Saturday, Penn State made 12-of-27 of its attempts from long distance.
Tavion Banks and Kael Combs were outstanding from the perimeter, making 7-of-8 shots from distance.
Purdue's recent issues with perimeter defense are a concern moving forward, but this was an Iowa team that shoots well from long range. Still, the Boilermakers have to be able to close out on opposing shooters.
Gicarri Harris in the clutch
When the game was hanging in the balance in the second half, it was Gicarri Harris who made some of the biggest plays of the night. At the 12:43 mark and trailing 48-43, the sophomore got his first steal of the night. Then, 80 seconds later, and the score at 50-45, Harris collected his second steal of the game.
In moments when Purdue's defense struggled to get stops, the sophomore came up big. Then, with the Boilermakers trailing 61-59, Harris hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 6:57 to play. Purdue never trailed again after that shot.
Harris has had some great moments this season, but his play on Wednesday night was critical to Purdue's success.
Elite point guard matchup
If you wanted to see two of the best point guards in college basketball, you got your wish. Although Smith struggled in the first half, both he and Bennett Stirtz put on a show, especially in the second half.
Smith ended with 16 ppints, eight assists, and two steals. Stirtz closed out the night with 19 points, making 7-of-15 shots from the floor. He also had four assists and three rebounds.
It was fun to see two of the best players at their position go head-to-head and play so well.
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PURDUE-IOWA GAME BLOG: Fifth-ranked Purdue will host Iowa on Wednesday at Mackey Arena. Follow along for live updates, news, and analysis from Mackey Arena. CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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