Purdue 75, Marquette 70- Game Wrap

Coach Matt Painter finally gets his win over Shaka Smart.

On a night where Marquette seemed to have an answer for Purdue every time the Boilers took a lead, it was Purdue's true freshman Braden Smith that created his first bit of Mackey Magic after a little help from Caleb Furst.

Marquette looked like they were going to impose their will on Purdue at the midway point of the second half when they pushed the lead to 58-49, but Purdue found something in their first close contest of the season.

They found a point guard, and then another one.

David Jenkins Jr. received the ball at the top of the key with the shot clock going down. Purdue was trailing just three, and seemingly unable to keep up with Marquette's fire power. Jenkins took a late pick and got just enough space to pull up from mid range as the shot clock was expiring. The transfer found net and put Purdue down just 1.

Then it was the true freshman's turn. Smith, despite a defender draped all over him, drove through the lane and threw up what looked like a prayer with his off hand. His shot found the backboard at an angle and then dropped in.

Purdue took the 62-61 lead. Smith wasn't done. After Smith forced a mismatch with Olivier-Maxence Prosper, the freshman stared down the big man, the moment, and made some Mackey Magic. He showed off the burst that made him Mr. Basketball and the poise that gave Painter the trust to start him and play him in big moments. His lay up missed, but he adeptly slowed down at the rim and draw a lot of contact and two free throws. He made both and gave Purdue another one point lead.

Marquette seemingly had an answer for every Purdue push on offense, but they didn't have an answer for Caleb Furst's length and closing out on the perimeter. The 6'9" forward had the highlight of the night, blocking a three as he was closing out from the free throw line, climbing up and deflecting the shot a good foot away from the shooter's release.

"I don't know if anyone here will write about it," Smart said of the block, commenting on how big of a play it was. "At the end of the year that should be on a highlight reel."

"Purdue did a phenomenal job taking that game late," Shaka Smart said after the game.

Smith's flurry wasn't finish as he found the ball after another Marquette miss and Smith saw an open court ahead of him. He took off and again Marquette's big man was between him and the rim. This time Smith's body control allowed him to change direction mid-step and his touch allowed him to place a floater up at full speed. When it dropped in, Purdue had a 65-62 lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Braden Smith finished the game with a career-high 20 points, including 3 threes, and had just 2 turnovers against a tough Marquette press.

For the second straight game Zach Edey didn't have a free throw attempt in the first half. For the second straight game the 7'4" Center looked to impose himself immediately to start the second half. Against Marquette, he did it to the tune of Purdue's first 8 points.

The big man was given the first play design and got the ball one on one in the post. Before help could come, he was rising up with a baby floater and dropping a basket in. The next possession, Coach Painter dialed up number 15 again and this time amongst a collection of bodies, Edey missed at the front of the rim and immediately grabbed the miss and threw it down with two hands.

Two more free throws and another thunderous dunk gave the big man an 8-4 run by himself against Marquette and Purdue its first lead of the second half at 40-38.

Zach Edey finished with 20 points and had another double-double with 13 rebounds after helping Purdue exert themselves on the glass late after getting out rebounded in the game overall. It's now his third straight double-double to start the season.

Purdue's true freshman were put to the fire early, and Marquette looked like a team not intimidated by the hostile Mackey Arena crowd. Purdue's freshman... looked like freshman as Braden Smith turned over the ball on Purdue's first possession against Shaka Smart's vaunted press. Kam Jones deflected the pass and drove to the hoop, drawing a blocking foul from Smith and going to the line where he collected his fourth and fifth points of the game. It gave Marquette a 5-0 lead in less than a minute of action.

But the Boilermakers and guards turned Marquette's aggressiveness against them in the second half. They were able to break the press and get into their offensive sets early, forcing good looks inside and open perimeter shots.

Purdue will be encouraged with their young ball handlers, only turning the ball over 6 times in the game.

"What I really like about this team is - obviously this is our first real challenge and Marquette is a dynamic team... I just like how poised we were throughout the whole game. Obviously a few turnover and a few mistakes here and there in the beginning of the game but we stayed poised through the first and second half... especially with these games coming up in Portland," David Jenkins Jr. after the game.

Purdue's jump shooting has been elusive this season, but they've responded by locking in on defense.

As Purdue's threes kept finding everything but the net, their defense kept the game close. Marquette went up 28-24 with 6:27 to go on a Kolek floater in the lane on a pick and roll. This was Purdue's first test of the season and for some of Purdue's players, the first of their career. Marquette sent a flurry of quick penetrating guards and big men that could handle the ball.

Purdue responded with timely rotations and length on the defensive end. The 28-24 lead slowly dripped away as Marquette failed to get clean looks on the perimeter and Purdue started to lock down the paint. Purdue would hold Marquette scoreless for over 4 minutes. Long enough for Purdue to take the lead again, 29-28 on a Brandon Newman corner 3 from a drive and kick from David Jenkins Jr..

Purdue holds another opponent to under 40% shooting. Marquette was 27-72 (37.5%) from the field. Purdue was able to defend without fouling again, giving up only 7 free throw attempts.

Marquette's 7 to 2 edge on the offensive glass and +4 rebounding for the half made all the different in a highly contested first half. Purdue's half court defense improved dramatically after giving up 13 points in the first four and a half minutes of play.

But Marquette had 4 more field goal attempts in the first half and had 4 trips to the line compared to Purdue's one despite Purdue getting into the bonus while fouling just 5 times. Fletcher Loyer had Purdue's only free throw attempt and missed the front end of a 1 and 1.

Brandon Newman and Zach Edey combined for 13 rebounds in the first half. David Joplin had 3 offensive rebounds off the bench for Marquette in the first half.

"I think Edey makes you second guess yourself," Smart said after the game about Edey's defense and length.

"We'll definitely be working on boxing teams out," Zach Edey said after the game after Purdue got out rebounded by Marquette 39-35.

Brandon Newman and David Jenkins Jr. kept Purdue's offense afloat in the first half. Each guard scored 5 off the bench, making a three-pointer a piece and one mid-range jumper.

Marquette's bench gave Shaka Smart nothing in the first half with zero points. Including an 0-3 start to Sophomore David Joplin's night after coming off a game where he was 6 of 10 from the three-point line.

Joplin found the stroke in the second half and provided a big spark for Smart's Golden Eagles to start the second half. Joplin made his first three-pointer with 15:47 left in the second half, then preceded to knock down four more shots, three more threes, and score 16 points in 6 minutes of action when he attacked Newman off the dribble and finished on the left side of the rim.

Joplin finished the game with 21 points off the bench.

David Jenkins Jr. finished the game with 10 points and played a good portion of the final minutes with fellow guard Braden Smith. He knocked down another three and showed off good shot making in the mid-range.

Brandon Newman had 7 points for the game, and an important 9 rebounds.

Purdue did a lot of work to build a 9 point lead late, and their free throw shooting late with the lead nearly let Marquette back in it. Loyer missed multiple free throws late and Smith missed his sixth free throw attempt of the game.

What seemed like a foregone conclusion turned into a one point possession very quickly when Brian Waddell was called for a foul on David Joplin and the officials determined it was in the act of shooting giving Marquette three free throws down five. Joplin missed one and made the first and last, but Purdue was able to inbound the ball and Ethan Morton made two free throws to push Purdue's lead 75-70.