5 Thoughts From No. 5 Purdue's 93-85 Win Over Penn State
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — It didn't come easy, but No. 5 Purdue remained undefeated in Big Ten play with a 93-85 win over Penn State on Saturday afternoon. A lot of credit goes to National Player of the Year candidate Braden Smith, who scored 26 points and dished out 14 assists in the victory.
Purdue also got contributions from Oscar Cluff, Trey Kaufman-Renn, CJ Cox, and Fletcher Loyer in the win. Those five accounted for 89 of Purdue's 93 points. The Boilers had just four points off the bench.
Penn State was led by Freddie Dilione V, who scored 25 points. Melih Tunca had 14 and Eli Rice dropped in 11.
Here are a few quick thoughts from Purdue's win to remain undefeated in Big Ten play.
Smith's Player of the Year performance
Sometimes, a National Player of the Year just has to play up to that level. That was the case for Smith on Saturday, as he came out of the locker room with his hair on fire. From the opening jump, he was ready to pull the trigger, scoring 10 early points for the Boilermakers and setting the tone.
Early in the opening half, Smith was Purdue's primary source of offense. At one point, he had accounted for 21 of the team's 24 points through scoring and assists. Without his performance from start to finish, Penn State may have left Mackey Arena with a win.
Defensive struggles
It seemed like Purdue lost shooters and had slow defensive rotations in the first half, resulting in a barrage of three-pointers from Penn State, led by Eli Rice and Melih Tunca. A Nittany Lions squad that shoots 31.9% from three for the season connected on 8-of-17 attempts in the first half.
Purdue shut that shot down in the second half, but the Nittany Lions were then able to get easier buckets at the rim. They ended the game with 38 points in the paint, but 24 came in the second half.
The Boilers did make some adjustments in the second half and did enough to win the game, but they have to be better on that end moving forward.
Cluff's efficiency on the glass
Cluff had a monster day, scoring 23 points and going 10-of-11 from the floor. But where he made a significant impact was on the glass, especially on the offensive end. The 6-foot-11 center collected seven rebounds in the game, but four of those were offensive. He scored six points and dished out an assist off of those boards.
In a game that was decided by eight points, Cluff's effort on the glass that resulted in eight points was the difference. It was an underrated element in the game, but something that was critical to the Boilermakers getting a win.
A sophomore spark
Late in the second half, CJ Cox really provided a spark on both ends for Purdue. He and Smith accounted for steals and layups on back-to-back possessions, bringing the Mackey Arena crowd to its feet and creating some separation from Penn State.
After that sequence, Purdue's lead extended from nine points to 14 points around the five-minute mark. Penn State continued to hang around by hitting shots at the end of the game, but those back-to-back possessions really broke the game open.
First test in over a month
Although Purdue only defeated Washington by eight points, the Huskies made their run late in the game when the outcome had been decided. This was really the first time in a month that Purdue found itself in a tough battle from start to finish.
Is that a good thing for the Boilermakers? On paper, everyone expected Purdue to blow out Penn State. But it's never a bad thing to play a close game and escape with a win.
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PURDUE-PENN STATE GAME BLOG: No. 5 Purdue hosts Penn State in a Big Ten clash on Saturday afternoon at Mackey Arena. Follow along for live updates, news, and analysis throughout the game. 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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