Matt Painter Talks About Purdue's Struggle With Closing First Halves

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Closing out first halves has become an issue for Purdue in recent weeks. That problem reared its ugly head again on Saturday against Oregon, as the 12th-ranked Boilermakers watched an eight-point first-half lead dwindle down to just two points when they headed into the locker room.

With 2:05 left in the first half, Purdue took a 36-28 advantage after a layup from Gicarri Harris. Oregon coach Dana Altman called a timeout to regroup his team. It worked. The Ducks finished the half on a 6-0 run, making the halftime score 36-34.

Purdue had an opportunity to put pressure on Oregon late in the first half, but instead, it found itself in a one-possession game. It has been a running theme for the Boilermakers, who struggled to close halves against UCLA, Illinois and Indiana, as well.

"You can't have breakdowns. You've gotta make your free throws," coach Matt Painter said. "It's always a combination of a sequence. You're in a position to be up six to 10 points, and you go in up two. But it's a sequence. It's getting a stop, it's executing offensively, it's making your free throws, it's not having breakdowns.

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter reacts to a replay. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

"And then, some of it is they're playing well. We've had good runs to finish the half before and we have times where we've struggled. ... A lot of people want to give it one answer, when there's probably about five or six possessions where you have to be better."

Squandering a sizable lead before halftime wasn't optimal, but Painter was pleased with some of the things Purdue did in the first half. He liked the early ball movement, creating open shots that were missed. It may not have produced the desired result, but the Boilermakers executed properly.

The two areas where Purdue needed to improve, though? Cutting down on turnovers and securing defensive rebounds.

"I thought we did some good things, I thought we did some really good things," Painter said. "We had seven turnovers in both halves, and that's just too many. Our goal is four per half. We needed to have six more possessions. We had a couple box-outs, one on a free throw, we've allowed that to happen in games. You have to get a free-throw box-out. You have to do a better job and secure the basketball."

Purdue's recent struggles to close first halves

Oregon Ducks forward Luke Johnson (7) passes the ball around Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4). | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The issue with closing out first halves became problematic during Purdue's three-game losing streak. The Boilermakers had double-digit leads early against both UCLA and Illinois, but weren't able to hold the advantage.

Purdue held a 12-point lead against UCLA in Pauley Pavilion, only to see the Bruins tie the game at the break. The Boilermakers held 11- and 10-point leads against the Illini at Mackey Arena, but Illinois narrowed the gap to 43-39 at half.

In Purdue's loss to Indiana, the Boilermakers had a 23-19 lead early, but the Hoosiers closed the half on a 21-6 run to take a 40-29 lead into the locker room.

There hasn't been a consistent theme to these squandered leads, but as Painter pointed out, a collection of items. With games against No. 9 Nebraska, Iowa, No. 2 Michigan, Indiana and No. 10 Michigan State on the horizon, it's something Purdue must figure out, and quickly.

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Purdue's recent struggles to close first halves

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