3 Thoughts From Purdue's 109-62 Win Over Eastern Illinois
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — No. 1 Purdue may have had some early issues with turnovers, but it had no trouble sinking Eastern Illinois on Friday afternoon in Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers cruised to a 109-62 win, improving to 7-0 on the season.
Six different Boilers scored in double figures, led by Daniel Jacobsen with 24 points and nine rebounds. Fletcher Loyer had 15 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 14, Gicarri Harris had 12, and Oscar Cluff and Omer Mayer each had 10. Braden Smith dished out 10 assists.
Here are a few quick thoughts from Purdue's blowout win.
Kicking off the rust
Through about the first 10 minutes, Purdue looked like a team that hadn't played a game in a week. The Boilers traded baskets with Eastern Illinois early and they also struggled with turnovers, ending the first half with nine. It was an uncharacteristic start for a team that has played so well in recent weeks.
Turnovers weren't an issue in the second half, as Purdue finished with just 10 for the contest. What little rust the Boilers had to kick off certainly didn't last. They shot better than 65% from the floor, 50% from three-point range, and nearly 90% from the free-throw line.
Daniel Jacobsen was a menace
Jacobsen had his best performance in a Purdue uniform on Friday afternoon, posing all sorts of problems to Eastern Illinois on both ends of the floor. The 7-foot-4 center was dominant in every regard, finishing the game with 24 points, nine rebounds, and six blocks.
Eastern Illinois was extremely undersized and it showed against Jacobsen. He was quick to make decisions on the offensive end, crashed the glass hard, and was active defensively. The center's production on Friday was tremendous.
Gicarri Harris found the bucket
The sophomore guard has struggled to make shots early this season. It took him some time on Friday, but he was finally able to find the bottom of the bucket, maybe providing some confidence as Purdue jumps into Big Ten play next week.
Harris entered Friday's game averaging 2.5 points per game, with a season-high of six against Akron. Against Eastern Illinois, the sophomore guard scored 12 points and shot 5-of-8 from the floor. He was aggressive when taking the ball to the basket and even connected on a triple. Purdue doesn't need him to be a double-figure scorer every game, but it was a positive to see Harris knock down some shots.
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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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