Purdue was given a run for its money on Friday night against Oakland as the Boilermakers started off slow and were forced to grit their way to a win.
At home for its second game of the season opening week, No. 1 Purdue (2-0) defeated Oakland (0-2) in a 87-77 win in a contest much closer than fans anticipated.
The Boilermakers entered the game as 30-point favorites but were never able to pull away for a large margin as Oakland fought tooth and nail all 40 minutes to keep the game close.
Here are the three takeaways from Purdue’s 87-77 win over Oakland:
TKR’s absence in felt in first half
Purdue found itself in an unlikely predicament in the first half against Oakland, struggling to find its way inside the paint and settling for repetitive 3-pointers that it could not hit in pairs.
The Boilermakers shot 25% from behind the arc in the first half, hitting only five shots despite getting multiple good looks against the Golden Grizzlies. The Boilers suffered several multi-minute cold stretches during the period that allowed Oakland to crawl into the lead.
Purdue needed a player in the paint that it could trust with the ball to get a bucket when needed. The man for this job last season was senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn but the Boilermakers were without the senior man due to hip issues that kept him out of the matchup.
Without Kaufman-Renn, the Boilermakers needed someone to step up and get things going at the rim. Senior guard Braden Smith was the man for the job, who found his most success driving inside and had three layups in the first 20 minutes.
Senior guard Braden Smith prepares to take a shot.
Andrew Coleman | Staff Photographer
The Golden Grizzlies were constraining Smith’s time with the ball, sending repetitive double teams and tight pressure. This forced Purdue to play through the hands of its other guards.
“I thought (Oakland) played hard,” head coach Matt Painter said. “I thought they competed, that they were quicker to the ball, especially in that first half.”
Freshman guard CJ Cox was the only Boiler besides Smith to find productivity on the offensive end in the first half, hitting three of his five shots and providing a spark of life for a lifeless Purdue offense.
The Boilermakers were able to wake up and find their rhythm in the second half with a much better shooting performance. Though the absence of Kaufman-Renn was still felt and Purdue will need him back in form next week against a much tougher opponent in Alabama.
Boilermakers come out with second half punch
The vibes in Mackey Arena were low at halftime after a measly first half performance in a game the Boilermakers were expected to run away with early.
These mellow vibes changed quickly in the second half after the Boilers came out hot in attack mode. They started off the half hitting four-straight shots, taking the lead but failing to extend it multiple possessions as the Oakland offense turned punches with tough buckets of its own.
“That one stretch in the second half, that’s where we went on the run, is because we were able to get stops and get rebounds,” Painter said.
Smith was the one to lead the charge, turning into downhill attacking, something Braden Smith fans didn’t get to see in the home opener as he looked to change the game himself on his own SLAM magazine cover night at Mackey Arena.
“He was huge,” senior guard Fletcher Loyer said. “It’s a strange zone, something you hardly ever see. But he started to get downhill, he started to kind of attack those two guards up top. When you have such a good passer getting downhill and creating space, he’s going to find his people.”
The senior guard started off the half with 8 quick points, including two 3-point plays that fired up the Paint Crew. Senior center Oscar Cluff had a 3-point play of his own, hitting 3-straight shots to start the half.
Fans wore fake beards as they watched the closer than anticipated game against Oakland.
Andrew Coleman | Staff Photographer
“We were just going to open it up,” Painter said. “We were getting the looks that we wanted. We were getting a lot of perimeter looks, and whether we’re going to throw the ball inside and post or drive it, we had to put that stress around the rim.”
The Golden Grizzlies continued to put up a strong fight, hitting three timely 3-pointers on recurrent possessions that kept them within arms reach and forced Purdue to keep its foot on the gas.
Though it was four-straight Purdue 3-pointers that finished off Oakland’s effort of pulling off any upset on the road. Loyer got a 3-pointer that extended Purdue’s lead to eight before Smith followed with a 3-pointer of his own just a minute later.
Loyer added another 3-pointer to the total before Cox was the man to deliver the killshot, pump faking his opponent before drilling his 3-pointer to push Purdue’s lead to 14 with under three minutes remaining.
Zone defense provides a unique look against Purdue’s offense
Purdue has not seen much zone defense in its couple of seasons with strong inside presences from Kaufman-Renn and Zach Edey before him.
Oakland was not fazed and ran zone defense all forty minutes, transitioning from man to man superbly to keep Purdue from swinging the ball quickly. The Boilers totaled only nine second half assists, assisting less than half of their first half buckets.
This zone look created problems for Purdue in the first and forced Purdue to find its way scoring inside first in the second, an unfamiliar look for a team that excelled in the 3-point scoring game in the home opener against Evansville.
The Boilermakers were eventually able to break open the Oakland zone and piece together multiple easy layups as Oakland’s front court sat deep under the basket, leaving an open lane for Purdue’s driving guards.
Senior forward Liam Murphy attempts to block a shot.
Andrew Coleman | Staff Photographer
Purdue’s ability to find driving lanes in Oakland’s defense opened up the 3-point game for Purdue that eventually caught on late and ended any chance for an Oakland upset.
Oakland was able to muster away 12 offensive rebounds, including nine in the second half that it turned into eight second chance points. Oakland’s guards Ziare Wells and Nassim Mashhour were the biggest problem for Purdue on defense as they combined for 36 points.
“It’s good to be in a close game and grind it out,” Loyer said. “But ultimately it shows me how much work we have to do.”
The Boilermakers will need to sharpen up on the glass and not have another cold start next Thursday as they travel down to Tuscaloosa to play No. 15 Alabama.
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