Purdue rallies to win opener in Spain
More ($): Thoughts on Game 1 | Larry Clisby breaks down the game
From Purdue: Video | Matt Painter reaction |
After trailing by double-digits in the third quarter, Purdue rallied to defeat Euro Colegio Casvi 80-71 in its opener in Spain.
"Our guys did a good job just fighting," associate head coach Jack Owens told GoldandBlack.com afterward. "We talked about that if the effort was going to be even, (ECC) would win the game, because of the officiating and how the game was being played."
Purdue's game-changing run started late in the third quarter with a stretch of dominant play from center Isaac Haas, who ran the floor for a dunk, knocked down a hook shot, drew fouls and passed the ball effectively and decisively during the burst. Haas made 5-of-7 shots in an 11-point, eight-rebound outing.
Caleb Swanigan, who finished with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 11 rebounds, made several important baskets down the stretch after Purdue strung together an extended string of defensive stops to secure the victory.
ECC beat Arkansas on Tuesday.
The second-half comeback might not have been possible had it not been for freshman Carsen Edwards' early contributions.
The rookie scored nine first-quarter points, 13 in the first half.
"Carsen played well in the first half, doing some great things to keep us in the game," Owens said, "then we were able to chip away."
Purdue closed out the win, though, with point guards P.J. Thompson and Spike Albrecht playing side-by-side. The two combined for 10 assists against just two turnovers for a Boilermaker team that was plagued by turnovers prior to its surge.
The rules overseas are different and several of Purdue's 23 turnovers were the result of those differences. In Europe, players must be totally stationary before initiating their dribble.
Also, there were a lot of fouls.
"We had to adjust to the way the game was officiated in the first half," Owens said, "and also I think their effort was a little bit better than ours.
"The thing I take from this is we have to continue to get better, to continue to build our defense and get big guys to continue to stay in line with the ball. Guards have to continue to clean up and get long rebounds and just play hard. We don't have a lot of plays in at this point. Our guys have to just learn to play in our motion and keep it simple against (opponents') zone and press."
Ryan Cline scored 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from three-point range and added four steals.
Purdue outrebounded ECC 41-36
Statistics and interview courtesy of Purdue sports information director Chris Forman.
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