Here's What Mason Gillis and David Jenkins Jr. Said After Purdue's Win Over Rutgers
CHICAGO — Purdue finally found a way to beat Rutgers on Friday, winning 70-65 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament at the United Center in Chicago. It was a big win for the top-seeded Boilermakers, who had lost five of their previous six outings with the Scarlet Knights, including twice as the No. 1 team in the country in each of the past two years.
Following the game, Purdue players Mason Gillis and David Jenkins Jr. met with the media. Gillis had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Jenkins had 12 points off the bench, included all three of his three-point attempts
Here is the full transcript of their press conference:
QUESTION: David, when you were brought here, part of the reason was that you said Matt liked your (isolation) scoring, especially late in the clock. Can you walk us through the back-to-back possessions where you were able to knock down two pull-ups?
DAVID JENKINS JR.: I think honestly it's just getting an opportunity to play a little ISO ball. In the early shot clock, we run our offense. (Purdue coach Matt Painter) says, when it's seven or eight seconds below, go and get it. I light up at that, and I just go get it.
MATT PAINTER: Good coaching.
JENKINS JR.: Yes. My teammates do a good job of looking for me when the shot clock is low, so credit to them.
Q: It's been talked a lot about how you picked up the two freshmen guards (Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer) through words and encouragement to pick them up, Fletcher didn't shoot well today, Braden struggled early. How big of a moment was that for you? This is why you came here, for moments like this.
JENKINS JR.: I do what I can obviously when they're not playing well. I have no doubt in my mind the next game they're going to pick it up. Fletcher and Braden are poised guards at a young age, so I just try to do what I can. When my number is called, I'm going to stay ready. It's a game-to-game situation, so whatever the game is, I'll be ready.
Q: Mason, at what point did you feel like you were matching — or go beyond matching — Rutgers' toughness and physicality to get control of this game?
MASON GILLIS: I don't know if there was ever a point I felt that. I just went into the game knowing they have outcompeted us and outtoughed us the past couple years. I knew my mentality was I had to get on the boards and set that tone, and then just the rest is it.
Q: Mason, you've been kind of coined as a glue guy or a hustle guy. You don't always score points in that role. How did it feel to have that role and still score for you like you did today?
GILLIS: It always feels great whenever the ball goes in, but the thing with not scoring as much is that I have to be able to do other things on the court, whether that's helping my teammates score, feeding the post to Zach (Edey), screening when I'm supposed to screen, doing what Coach Paint says. It doesn't always happen, but I try my best.
Q: Mason, you've faced (Rutgers) multiple times. As Coach Painter said, it's been a tough matchup. Why in your eyes is Rutgers such a tough matchup to play against?
GILLIS: They're experienced, and they just play harder than whoever they're playing. The majority of times, whenever they win, their defense is winning the game for them, maybe not their offense. Just like tonight, whenever they get into their press, teams like us — and other teams — struggle with it. We work on a press break here, but it's still tough going at it in the real live game. So we've got a lot more to work on, and we'll be all right.
Q: When your shooting is on, it seems to be very on. Is there something in pregame that leads to that, or does it just happen?
GILLIS: I wouldn't say it doesn't just happen. It's an every-day process. I have a routine building up to our games. In the game, I go through the same routine through warmups, and whenever I get into the game, I'm just prepared, whether that's my time to shoot the ball or whatever I need to do. Just making sure I'm ready.
Q: Mason, this was your second-highest points for the year, but beyond that, great stat line. You drew a couple fouls. You were aggressive defensively. Where do you rank this game for yourself personally this year?
GILLIS: I don't know. I'd put it up there with two, three maybe.
Q: David, you guys have mentioned what a grind it is to have to beat Rutgers. When you walk off the court and you've beaten that grind, what's the satisfaction in the toughness that it takes to not only beat that team, but beat the style of play that they play with?
JENKINS JR.: Obviously, like you said, Rutgers is hard. They're a very physical and hard team. Each and every day we work on what they do, as far as press break goes. But, again, going against it and how physical they are and how they get to spots, it's difficult to kind of match that. I think we did a really good job. We had a couple late turnovers, but besides that, I think we did a good job getting it past half-court and getting into our offense. It feels good to get a win against them, but obviously that's a temporary feeling because we've got the next game (Saturday), and we've got to be prepared for that.
Purdue guard David Jenkins Jr. (14) reacts after scoring against Rutgers during the first half at the United Center. (Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)
Q: David, you're new to this team, but you're not new to college basketball. How much do you feel like this is your moment here in March to be a veteran presence for this team?
JENKINS JR.: As I mentioned before, it really is just staying ready when my number's called. I feel like half the battle is to be able to stay in the game for Coach Painter, to be able to play defensively and be able to get rebounds and do the little things, kind of a lot of things that Mason does over here.That's kind of the role I've been trying to take on, and if the shots fall, that's good to add on. Just staying ready offensively and defensively.
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