Matt Painter Identifies Biggest Factor in Purdue's Loss to UCLA
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UCLA took advantage of Purdue's late mistakes on Tuesday night to defeat the fourth-ranked Boilermakers 69-67 inside Pauley Pavilion. The final blow came on a Tyler Bilodeau three-pointer with less than nine seconds to play in the game, but the biggest factor for the Bruins actually happened much earlier, according to coach Matt Painter.
Purdue's inability to finish at the rim in the first half proved costly on Tuesday night, especially when the Boilers jumped out to a 27-15 lead with 7:54 to play. UCLA blocked six shots in the first 20 minutes, wiping away the chance for Painter's team to extend its least and close the door on the Bruins early.
"The thing that I would say for them were the eight blocked shots. The six blocked shots in the first half were huge," Painter said. "We're getting the ball at the basket a lot. I think they blocked one three, but all the rest were at the basket. We had a couple transition layups that got blocked, a couple with our big guys on offensive rebounds and post-ups. We had to do a better job finishing."
UCLA guard Donovan Dent and center Xavier Booker each accounted for three blocks in the game, while Bilodeau and Eric Freeny each had one. That defensive effort from the Bruins wiped away 17 potential points, a significant number in a game that came down to the wire.
As a result of those squandered opportunities, Purdue was unable to increase its lead, and instead, UCLA went on a 17-5 run to close out the half, tying the game at 32-32. The Boilermakers still had chances to win, but it was undoubtedly the biggest swing in the contest.
Painter was pleased with the looks Purdue got throughout the game, but said it has to be able to finish at the rim.
"We had more rebounds than them, we had fewer turnovers, and that's what you want. You want to win that possession battle," Painter said. "We just had to execute at the end there. When you get good shots and you don't make them, it's not difficult."
Purdue's late turnovers
With under two minutes to play, Trey Kaufman-Renn grabbed an offensive rebound and got a quick bucket to put Purdue ahead 67-61. At that point, the Boilermakers were in complete control of the game.
But the Boilermakers struggled to execute in the final 90 seconds.
Dent buried a triple to slice Purdue's lead in half, then Braden Smith had a turnover on the next possession, leading to an Eric Dailey Jr. layup. On the following play, Smith turned it over again and UCLA was able to draw up the open three-point attempt for Bilodeau to win the game.
UCLA closed out the game on an 8-0 run to pull off the upset.
"We had a couple turnovers late, and that's part of it," Painter said. "You have to give them credit, too."
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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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