3 Thoughts From No. 5 Purdue's 89-73 Win Over Wisconsin
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Purdue remained undefeated in Big Ten play on Saturday night, defeating Wisconsin 89-73 in Madison. With the victory, the fifth-ranked Boilermakers improved to 13-1 on the year and are now 3-0 in the conference.
Although Purdue led most of the way, it was still a tale of two halves. Wisconsin set the tone on the glass and did a good job establishing itself in the painted area in the first half. The Boilers escaped with a seven-point lead at the break, but really hammered down in the second half to cruise to a 16-point victory.
Here are a few quick thoughts from Purdue's big win on the road in Madison.
A record-setting night
Braden Smith is now the Big Ten's assist king. On Saturday night, he scored 14 points and dished out 12 assists, breaking Cassius Winston's (Michigan State) conference assist record. Smith entered the game needing 10 assists to break the record, accomplishing the feat in the second half of the game.
Smith has been incredible throughout his Purdue career, now owning the Big Ten record and Purdue record for career assists. Now, the senior guard is only chasing Bobby Hurley's NCAA assist record, which stands at 1,076 assists.
Balanced Boilers
Saturday night's win over Wisconsin was a total team effort in a lot of ways. Offensively, everyone who stepped on the court made a major impact. It was one of the more balanced performances we've seen from the Boilermakers this season.
Fletcher Loyer led the way wit 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the floor. Smith and CJ Cox each added 14 points, and Trey Kaufman-Renn had 11. Oscar Cluff hhad a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He took just seven total shots.
Off the bench, Purdue got seven points from Daniel Jacobsen, six from Gicarri Harris, three from Omer Mayer, and two from Jack Benter. It felt like everyone hit an important shot at some stage in the game.
Matching the physicality
Although Purdue owned a 45-38 advantage at halftime, Wisconsin won the rebounding battle 20-13 and shot at a better clip from the floor. The biggest difference was the Boilermakers' one turnover to the Badgers' eight. It didn't feel like Purdue embraced the physicality of the game.
That changed in the second half. Wisconsin still won the rebound battle, but by a narrow 39-37 margin. The Boilers also outshot the Badgers 46% to 42% from the floor. They also finished the game with just seven turnovers compared to Wisconsin's 11.
It took a half to get into a rhythm, but Purdue was able to match Wisconsin's physicality in the second half, and that's when the Boilers began to pull away.
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WINSTON SHOUTS OUT SMITH: Purdue guard Braden Smith is on the verge of breaking Cassius Winston's Big Ten assist record. The former Spartan had a special message for the senior guard. 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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