5 Thoughts From Purdue's 97-62 Win Over Fraser Valley
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Purdue rounded out its four-game trip to Canada in dominating fashion on Wednesday evening. The Boilermakers pummeled the University of Fraser Valley 97-62 to finish 4-0,
Freshman Jacob Webber was the talk of the afternoon, scoring 21 points on 6-of-7 from the floor inn the victory. It was his best performance of the trip. C.J. Cox and Luke Ertel both scored 12 points, Caden Pierce had 11 and Raleigh Burgess dropped in eight.
The Boilermakers defeated the Vancouver Selects, Trinity Western University and the University of Calgary earlier this week. They completed a four-game schedule in five days and are now ready for some much-needed rest.
Before the Boilers head back to West Lafayette, though, let's talk about some of the takeaways from Wednesday's win.
Webber became a "Splash Brother"
Webber saved his best performance of the trip for the final game. He got off to a hot start by knocking down a few threes, which really got him into a rhythm. The Purdue newcomer couldn't miss for most of the afternoon.
Webber finished Wednesday night's game scoring a team-high 21 points and making 6-of-7 shots from three-point range. It was one of the most impressive offensive performances of the four-game trip.
At different times throughout this trip, Webber demonstrated the ability to knock down shots from long range. Wednesday's 21-point effort was his most impressive showing, though.
Great energy for 40 minutes
Purdue seemed a little sluggish in the first quarter of Tuesday's game against the University of Calgary. The second unit of that game played particularly poorly after coming off the bench five minutes into the contest.
That wasn't the case against Fraser Valley. From the opening tipoff until the final buzzer, the Boilermakers were locked in. Maybe the Boilers remembered Wednesday would be the last time they'd play an opponent until October.
Purdue jumped out to an early 17-2 lead to start the game and never allowed Fraser Valley to gather any momentum. The offense was crisp and decisive and the defense was relentless.
Effort should never be a concern for the Boilermakers. In the first quarter on Tuesday, the team's energy was questioned. But they left everything on the floor on Wednesday.
West was relentless on the defensive end
Speaking of relentless defense, West was a problem on that end of the floor again Wednesday night. Yes, that's been a consistent theme throughout this week in Canada, but it was worth mentioning again.
West doesn't give opposing guards time to breathe. He picks them up full court and uses his quick hands and physical approach to create turnovers. Opponents are forced to make bad decisions when the redshirt freshman is in their face.
As good as West has been offensively on this trip, his defensive effort has been really impressive. Assistant coach P.J. Thompson wasn't lying when he said West was the team's best on-ball defender.
Purdue forced Fraser Valley into 22 turnovers, getting 19 steals. The Boilers were able to turn those into 38 points, a huge difference in the game.
Continuing to get to the free throw line
One of the issues Purdue had last season was getting to the free-throw line. The Boilermakers have demonstrated the ability to attack the basket and draw contact during this trip. Wednesday wasn't the best example, but they still attempted 20 free throws.
Purdue was able to get to the line 18 times in the first half, but struggled to take advantage. The Boilers made just 11 of those attempts and finished the game 12-of-20 from the stripe. They have to be able to make the most out of those opportunities.
The good news, though, is that Purdue appears to be better at getting to the charity stripe. That's going to be a big benefit offensively this season.
Another do-it-all day for Ertel
Ertel isn't just a player who can pass the basketball; he can do a little bit of everything. He ended Wednesday's contest with 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds. That's an outstanding stat line for a freshman point guard.
He's an excellent rebounder at his position and pushes the pace when he collects the board. He's always moving with his head up and tries to move the ball ahead to create easy scoring opportunities in transition.
The freshman continues to struggle at times, making a few rookie mistakes, but that's to be expected. He has really flashed his potential this week.
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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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