When Purdue basketball played Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., back on Dec. 10, junior forward Mason Gillis was out of the lineup and the Cornhuskers pulled down 19 offensive rebounds.
Gillis said that failing to control the glass is unacceptable for the Boilermakers, and their shortcomings pushed them to the edge in what ended up being a three-point win that was decided in overtime.
However, in a rematch Friday night at Mackey Arena, Purdue outrebounded Nebraska 39-19 and only allowed four offensive boards. With Gillis back on the floor, the team had an extra body in the frontcourt to fight for the ball.
"Even one offensive rebound isn't acceptable," Gillis said. "We harp on that, we preach that in practice to crash the defensive boards a lot better. I think we improved tonight."
Gillis was one of six Boilermakers to finish with at least three rebounds in a 73-55 win. Since missing three games with a back injury in December, the junior has continued to be a key contributor despite coming off the bench.
The Cornhuskers put a heavy focus on defending star center Zach Edey, holding the 7-foot-4 junior to 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Gillis stepped up by scoring 10 points to go along with five rebounds in 19 minutes of play.
"It's hard to get familiar and get into a game sometimes when you come off the bench," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "It's really an art. ... By the time you find your way into the game, sometimes you're taken out, and that's really hard. But I like our weapons, I like our guys and I like our skill level. We just can't try to do it all right as we sub in."
Edey led the team's efforts on the glass with a game-high 13 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end of the floor. Purdue finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds and nine second-chance points.
Gillis pulled down two rebounds off missed shots by the Boilermakers, with his first resulting in an immediate layup underneath the basket in the first half. It was his only made shot before halftime.
"When you take Zach away and you battle him and you fight him, sometimes you're not in great rebound position," Painter said. "You saw our best offense there for about a two-minute stretch was just missing a shot and we got the ball."
In the second half, Gillis registered eight points, including a 3-pointer to give Purdue a 58-38 lead with 9:40 left in the game. He was also 3-of-4 from the foul line and added a driving layup.
The Cornhuskers outscored the Boilermakers in the paint 24-20, but Gillis provided the floor spacing necessary for Purdue to knock down 11 shots from the 3-point line. In his limited time on the floor, he never turned the ball over and was only called for one foul.
"I feel like I do a decent job of doing my role every game," Gillis said. "Being able to go in there and get rebounds, make smart post feeds. Just helping the guys out, whether that's communication, getting them into the right spots. Just the little things, that's the type of player I am. Honing in on that, keeping things simple and being ready to go."
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