Redshirt freshmen, Matt Haarms spark Purdue in win over Penn State
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Purdue needed something.
Middling against Penn State in a game that would see the Boilermakers commit a season-high 23 turnovers, Sasha Stefanovic and Aaron Wheeler provided that something, at least enough to buoy the 12th-ranked hosts until a second-half shooting surge propelled them to a 76-64 win.
“These guys,” center Matt Haarms said of the two redshirt freshmen, “they came in and had a fire about them.”
Again, the Boilermakers, dealing with foul trouble and playing mostly without big man Trevion Williams due to illness, needed it.
The opening minutes were as uncharacteristic a stretch as Purdue has played in weeks, months even, turning the ball over incessantly against the sort of pressure it’s handled without incident all season.
“Not ready to play more than anything,” Coach Matt Painter said. “They didn’t do anything that we didn’t expect. We knew they’d come with the 1-2-2 zone press, matchup press. We just had to do a better job taking care of the basketball.”
Those difficulties contributed to Penn State leading 8-0 right out of the gate.
“We just wanted them to start with a shorter shot clock,” Penn State coach Pat Chambers said in a nod to Purdue’s offensive precision this season.
Instead, it turned Purdue into a shell of itself. Maybe the single-biggest key to its success this season has been its ability to take care of the basketball.
On Saturday afternoon, it couldn’t, or didn’t. Carsen Edwards and Nojel Eastern, Purdue’s two starting guards, committed seven and six turnovers, respectively, themselves combining for more than Purdue normally commits as a team.
Against such struggles, Purdue needed something more from someone.
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It came from Stefanovic and Wheeler.
The former fueled a first-half Purdue run that took it from five down to up four in the span of about four minutes. First, he was fouled shooting a three, and made two of the free throws. Then, after drawing an offensive foul, he made a three-pointer. Finally, he dashed between two Nittany Lions for a steal, that he then advanced to Grady Eifert for a breakaway layup.
“I just wanted to come in and give a little bit of spark and energy,” Stefanovic said. “Force a couple turnovers, knock down a couple shots, whatever we needed. That was my main goal today.”
Wheeler slipped behind Penn State’s defense twice in the first half, both instances yielding points, then made a three from the corner in the final two minutes of the first half to break a tie. Purdue never trailed again.
The classmates totaled 15 points off the bench, taking just five shots and accounting for only one entry to the turnover epidemic.
“It seemed like we came out a little flat,” Wheeler said. “So I just came in and tried to bring some energy, get some life into the guys, and get us going.”
The redshirt freshmen steadied Purdue when it was wobbly, and the veterans finished the job after halftime.
Edwards, undercut by first-half foul trouble, got Purdue off to a strong start, and an 8-0 run highlighted by back-to-back threes from Edwards and Grady Eifert gave the Boilermakers cushion, a lead robust enough to weather a few final turnover spells that gave Penn State a chance again.
With four-and-a-half minutes left, a 12-0 run positioned Penn State down just five.
But Eifert part Penn State’s defense with a pass fake and drove to the basket for a difficult finish, Nojel Eastern stole the ball following the ensuing in-bound and Ryan Cline drove and drew big man Mike Watkins’ fifth foul and made both free throws, completing the stretch that put the game away for Purdue.
Haarms’ three-pointer with 47 seconds left was the final stake to drive.
Purdue held Penn State to 36-percent shooting — a number that would have been significantly worse if not for a bunch of easy buckets off Purdue giveaways — and forced 16 turnovers itself, half of them by the focal point of its defensive plan, Lamar Stevens.
The Boilermakers turnover issues were as egregious as they were uncharacteristic, but Purdue did most everything else, and did it through foul trouble to its All-American and offensive focal point.
Edwards finished with 19 points, but in the first half, Purdue steadied itself with him on the bench.
The Stefanovic-driven run began the moment Edwards picked up his second foul and left the game.
“It means a lot to any team, when you have someone who scores the basketball and means as much to our team as Carsen does, when they get in foul trouble, what do you do? Who do you become? We played well right there,” Painter said.
“I think our win over Michigan State here was a great signal to everybody, to our fans, our players, our coaches, everybody that if we play hard, we rebound and we defend people, we don’t have to be perfect offensively. We just don’t. Now when you struggle offensively and struggle in those areas, you’re going to get beat.”
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