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'They stole our spirit.' No. 1 Purdue basketball blasted by No. 9 Iowa State
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- 'They stole our spirit.' No. 1 Purdue basketball blasted by No. 9 Iowa State
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – Purdue basketball 's undefeated start to the season ended in an emphatically Saturday — and so will its reign as the No. 1 team in the nation .
No. 9 Iowa State walloped the Boilermakers 81-58 at Mackey Arena.
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"It was a day for us we played our absolute best," ISU coach TJ Otzleberger said.
The Cyclones led by as many as 27 in the second half and were in control throughout the game's final 25 minutes.
"More than anything, I think they stole our spirit," Purdue coach Matt Painter said afterward . "This is a tough place to play and they came in here and took it to us."
Here's what I liked and disliked, and what the Boilers ' loss means.
What I liked in Purdue 's loss to Iowa State
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Braden Smith as a defensive catalyst typically makes for the best version of Purdue. He was very active in the first half — a couple of steals leading to fast-break baskets, a role in a couple of other turnovers, even a blocked shot on the baseline. Iowa State has buried opponents this season by turning defense into offense. Purdue flipped that script in the first half, and Smith led the effort.
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Daniel Jacobsen 's streak of consecutive field goals, which dated back to Nov. 16 against Akron, ended at 21, a program record . Yet he still provided some big bench moments — including scoring on lob dunks on back-to-back possessions when Purdue really needed a bucket. His eight first-half points led the team.
What I disliked in Purdue's loss to Iowa State
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Matt Painter warned one could not limit Iowa State merely by containing Joshua Jefferson. The Cyclones proved him right by taking control of the game with their star forward on the bench. Jefferson sat with 6:09 left in the first half, to protect him from picking up a third foul. Iowa State only outscored Purdue by one in that span until halftime, but the Boilers could not convert enough on offense to take advantage of Jefferson's absence. Jefferson then picked up his third foul only 30 seconds into the second half. Meaning he was barely on the floor at all as the Cyclones' turned a four-point halftime lead into a 16-point margin.
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Purdue went into half down only four points to a top-10 opponent despite Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer making a combined 2 of 13 field goal attempts. The Cyclones had a lot to say about that. Loyer was rushed into some shots early. Iowa State's length forced Kaufman-Renn into some lower-percentage attempts. The Boilers shot 37.1% from the field in the first half and made only 2 of 10 from 3-point range. It committed only three live-ball turnovers in the first 20 minutes. It limited Jefferson to one rebound and turned him over four times. But it still trailed at half because Iowa State won the battle between its defense and Purdue's half-court offense.
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Purdue knew Iowa State could shoot. It made an insane 22 of 30 earlier in the week against Alcorn State . Yet it gave up too many clean looks and was too late to close out on numerous possessions. The Cyclones made 7 of 12 from 3, missing their last four, in the second half to run away with this one.
What Purdue basketball's loss vs Iowa State means
If Purdue shoots a more normal 3-point percentage today, it still probably loses this game. It needs to analyze why it responded so poorly on its home floor to the Cyclones' defensive intensity. More tests like this are coming in Big Ten play.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Purdue vs Iowa State score No. 1 Boilers blown out at home by Cyclones
