3 Thoughts From Purdue's 81-73 Win Over Washington
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Fifth-ranked Purdue extended its winning streak to six games on Wednesday night, defeating Washington 81-73 to improve to 14-1 on the season and remain undefeated (4-0) in Big Ten play.
Braden Smith had his struggles — I'll talk about that shortly — but still managed to score 23 points and dish out seven assists to lead the Boilermakers. Trey Kaufman-Renn had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
The Boilers led by as many as 23 points at one moment in the second half, but Washington was able to cut that down to eight late in the game. Purdue was able to make enough plays late to escape with a win.
Here are a few thoughts from Wednesday night's win at Mackey Arena.
Playing through adversity
Smith had a tough first half, picking up two fouls in under 11 minutes, resulting in a spot on the bench. Then, just 90 seconds after he subbed back in, he picked up a third foul at the 4:20 mark and sat out the remainder of the half.
When the senior guard exited the game, Omer Mayer stepped in and hit some big shots. He scored five points in the first half, which included a buzzer-beater. Despite Smith leaving, Purdue extended its lead from 10 points to 17. It's a good sign to see others step up when the leader battled foul trouble.
Having players like CJ Cox, Oscar Cluff, Mayer, and Kaufman-Renn pick up the slack is something Purdue needs if Smith ever has an off night or finds himself in foul trouble.
Dominating the glass again
Washington has had a lot of struggles this season, but one of its best strengths has been rebounding the basketball. The Huskies entered the game averaging 40.4 boards per game, but the Boilermakers kept them off the glass Wednesday night.
Purdue won the rebounding battle 37-25, led by Kaufman-Renn's 14 boards. Cluff added seven, and Fletcher Loyer collected four. The most impressive part of the night? The Boilermakers kept Washington's Hannes Steinbach off the boards, as he grabbed just four for the game.
On the year, Steinbach was averaging 11.8 rebounds per game.
Struggled to close the door
Wednesday was the second straight game in which Purdue had built a big lead and struggled to close the door. It happened late against Wisconsin on Saturday as well, though a lot of that blame went to Smith breaking the Big Ten assist record.
Again, Purdue had a 23-point lead in the second half, and Washington cut it down to eight, but it could've been even closer. Is this something to worry about, or is it just a lack of focus while getting back into Big Ten play?
It's worth noting that Purdue really hasn't played a close game since the 80-71 victory over Memphis in the Baha Mar Championship back in November. Every game since then — except for Wednesday night's win over Washington — had been decided by double digits.
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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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