#4 Purdue Stunned At UCLA

Unlike its previous four conference games, the Boilermakers bolted out to an early and comfortable lead. After the second of two layups from senior Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue held a 14-7 lead just six minutes into the game.

From that point until the 7:24 mark of the first half, the Boilermakers kept the offensive pressure on by going on a 13-8 run to lead 27-15. That 12-point lead would mark the largest lead Purdue would enjoy.

UCLA responded with an 11-0 run of their own to pull within one at 27-26 with just under four minutes to go before halftime. The Bruins held Purdue scoreless for those four minutes. The cold snap was lifted after Fletcher Loyer connected on a mid-range jumper with 3:28 left on the clock.

UCLA acquired some momentum going into the locker room at halftime. Donovan Dent scored on a mid-range shot of his own as the first half ended, and that basket knotted the score at 32.

Purdue Invited To The Block Party

Part of the reason the Bruins hung around in the first half was due to the stifling rim protection they imposed on the Boilermakers. UCLA defenders swatted away eight Purdue shots, six of which occurred in the first half.

The poor shooting and subpar offensive output endured by the Boilers were not solely because of the barrage of blocked shots by the Bruins. Loyer was just 2-of-10 from the field and hit only one of his six shots from distance. Oscar Cluff, who was coming off a 19-point game vs. USC, only attempted five field goal attempts and tallied just six points.

For the night, Purdue shot just 45% from the field and only 26% (7-for-27) from three-point land.

Another unusual tidbit from Tuesday’s game was the Boilermakers’ inability to get to the free-throw line. Kaufman-Renn shot and made the team’s first two free throws with just under 16 minutes to go in the game. Purdue made only 6 of 7 attempts from the charity stripe, well below their season average of 12.8 successful tries.

With all the warts that covered the surface of Purdue’s play, the Boilermakers led 67-61 after another Kaufman-Renn layup with just under two minutes to play.

Those would be the last points Purdue scored for the rest of the night. UCLA reeled off the last eight points of the game. The Bruins got three from a long-distance shot from Dent and two from a transition layup by Eric Dailey, Jr., before Bilodeau’s heroics.

Dent was arguably the best player on the Pauley Pavilion court on Tuesday. He scored 23 points, dished out a season-high 13 assists, and blocked three shots. Most of his damage was done when the All-American Smith was in charge of guarding him.

Cox led the Boilers with 16 points, followed by Smith with 12 and Kaufman-Renn with 10.

End Of My Purdue Rant: Boilers MUST Play A 40-Minute Game

Basketball has always been a 40-minute game of runs. The team that can avoid a lengthy cold streak in shooting the ball, along with minimizing their opponent’s ability to score in bunches, is usually successful.

Since New Year’s Day, Purdue has tempted fate by going to sleep for long stretches during its games. While the Boilermakers got away with sluggish play during their previous four wins, the lethargic production ultimately did them in on Tuesday. They are too talented and too experienced to let games like that slip out of their grasp, and their superstars will not always be able to rescue them.

Purdue will next step onto the court on Saturday, and it will not get any easier. #11 Illinois travels to West Lafayette for a 3 pm ET game at Mackey Arena. The Paint Crew will be ready, and they will be hoping their beloved Boilers will be just as anxious to get the taste of the UCLA game out of their mouths.