Breakdown: Purdue's win over VCU
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NICEVILLE, Fla. — It was less than aesthetically pleasing, shall we say, but Purdue didn't care much as it emptied Its bench in celebration as the final buzzer sounded on its 59-56 win over 20th-ranked VCU Friday night at the Emerald Coast Classic, the Boilermakers' first quality win of the season.
The Boilermakers now draw Florida State — a winner over Tennessee — at 7 p.m. ET Saturday evening.
Our breakdown from Raider Arena at Northwest Florida State College ...
WHAT HAPPENED
This wasn't pretty, hideous at times actually, as Purdue won despite opening the game 5-of-18 from the floor, and finishing with 18 turnovers, enduring nearly game-turning dry spells offensively in the second half.
The good news for Purdue in a game that featured 46 fouls and nearly 40 turnovers: It forced 21 turnovers, outrebounded the Rams and made just even free throws to get by.
"That's kind of the definition of winning ugly right there," senior Evan Boudreaux said. "We'e not going to make our shots all the time or be perfect on the offensive end, but if we can win ugly, we can win a lot of games."
It seemed significant.
It wasn't all that long ago that Matt Painter stopped just short of calling his team soft after a loss at Marquette in which an 18-point first half lead went down the drain.
The coach cited his team's lack of "fight" and need for "toughness" in all its forms..
Those things are hard to quantify or measure, but Purdue wouldn't have won Friday night's rockfight without them in some form.
"I think we always had It," senior Jahaad Proctor said. "(Marquette) was just on us. We had to come together as a team. We were playing a little too lax. When you have a target on your back you have to have an edge. ... We came together and told each other we had to have that toughness."
It wasn't exactly a straight line to victory, though.
After VCU cut a three-point Purdue lead to two — Marcus Santos-Silva missed three of four foul shots in the final 1:16 — Proctor lost the ball off his foot at the end of an offensive possession that didn't click, and VCU took possession with a chance to tie or reclaim the lead.
With 19 seconds left, Marcus Evans drove past Nojel Eastern, but Evan Boudreaux came off In help-side defense, absorbed contact Initiated by Evans, and the ball went out of bounds.
After Proctor made one of two free throws, De'Riante Jenkins' good look on a game-tying pull-up three missed, and the Boilermakers exhaled.
WHY IT HAPPENED
Turnovers and rebounds, the columns Painter keeps a keen eye on after games, both went In the Boilermakers' favor.
VCU averaged close to a turnover per minute during the first 13 minutes or so, masking Purdue's struggles offensively.
The Boilermakers won the glass 32-24 and claimed 11 offensive rebounds to VCU's five.
Defensively, Purdue was good, holding VCU to 44.2-percent shooting inflated by a trio of breakaway baskets off offensive turnovers in the first half, and benefiting from the 21 turnovers.
"We've had good stretches defensively," Painter said of his work-in-progress team. "We do good things on offense then don't reward ourselves."
Purdue missed 10 more free throws, including late pairs gone awry by Trevion Williams and Nojel Eastern, as well as a missed one-and-one by Sasha Stefanovic. Additionally, Purdue missed at least three point-blank shots at the rim in the first half. Proctor was 2-of-6 on two-point shots, many of them right at the basket.
WHO MADE IT HAPPEN
The bench, probably.
While Eric Hunter and Jahaad Proctor each added 12 points and Trevion Williams gave Purdue offensive footing when it badly needed it, the bench loomed large.
Isaiah Thompson made a pair of first-half threes, and Boudreaux's contributions really made a difference, particularly after Matt Haarms and Williams fouled out.
Boudreaux was 4-of-4 from the foul line and grabbed five rebounds In 16 minutes, and made a number of notable effort plays.
WHAT IT MEANS
It means Purdue found a way to win a game against a solid opponent when It was far from perfect, and that seems significant for a team that prior to tonight didn't seem to quite know how to win yet.
It also means Purdue gets a date with Florida State, and more of the same from a defensive intensity perspective. Unless it fares wholly better offensively against the 'Noles, winning ugly again might be its only chance.
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