Liam Murphy Was Purdue's Unsung Hero in Win Over Oakland
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Liam Murphy had missed his first three attempts from behind the arc when the basketball reached his hands with time expiring in the first half. But with an open look, the senior transfer from North Florida rose confidently, flicked his wrist, and knocked down a triple and sent Purdue into the locker room tied with Oakland and 35-35.
That was just the first of multiple winning plays Murphy made in Friday's 87-77 victory over Oakland. The rest came in a two-minute window in the second half, when the Boilermakers found themselves hanging on by a thread.
Murphy checked back into the game at the 12:17 mark in the second half, with Purdue leading 56-55 after a 6-0 run by Oakland. A mere 18 seconds after returning to the floor, Murphy knocked down his second triple of the game.
On the defensive end following a media timeout, Murphy battled Oakland's Isaac Garrett in the post, forcing him to travel and getting the ball back for the Boilermakers. Just 14 seconds later, Murphy buried another three, giving Purdue a 62-55 advantage.
In a game as tight as Friday night's, Purdue needed someone to provide a spark. In the second half, Murphy was the one to do it.
"It was huge," coach Matt Painter said. "That's what he can do; there's no hesitation. He missed his first couple, then he made that one at the end of the first half. But that stretch right there, where it's a one-possession game and he makes back-to-back threes, that gave us a lift."
Murphy wasn't the best player on the floor for Purdue on Friday; that title belonged to Braden Smith. The senior guard ended the contest with 20 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. He provided plenty of his own sparks throughout the night, highlighted by an eight-point effort in the first 4:30 of the second half to provide a nice burst of energy out of the locker room.
For Purdue to be successful, it has to get contributions like it got from Murphy off the bench. He played 11 minutes and scored 11 points, a pretty efficient night for any college basketball player.
The importance of Murphy's minutes stretched beyond his shooting, though. He also provided a spark of energy in some nail-biting moments. During his five-minute stretch in the second half, he grabbed an offensive rebound to save a possession. In another moment, he swiped the ball away from Oakland's Nassim Mashhour and dove after it, trying to force another turnover.
For the five minutes he was on the floor, Murphy gave Purdue the energy, effort, and efficient shooting it desperately needed.
Painter often talks about getting guys to make the most of their minutes, how it's difficult to be consistent with inconsistent playing time. Murphy was only on the floor for 11 of the 40 minutes Friday night, but he made every second count.
"Give Liam credit, that's tough to do," Painter said. But he proved he can do it."
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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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