Some say lessons learned after being humbled and embarrassed make for lasting impressions.
The Purdue basketball team now faces the unenviable and rare task of picking up the pieces after a home blowout loss to Iowa State on Saturday. The Cyclones proved to be rude guests at Mackey Arena, taking a close game at halftime and running the Boilermakers off the court in an 81-58 drubbing. The loss was the first of the season for Purdue after eight wins, which included two victories over ranked teams, and their top ranking in the AP poll will evaporate come Monday.
Iowa State entered the game with a #10 ranking, and that status will surely improve this week.
The Cyclones were led by junior Milan Momcilovic, who led three other double-digit scorers with 20 points. Kilyan Toure added 13 points, and Blake Buchanan pitched in 12 points and nine rebounds.
Purdue suffered through its worst shooting game to date. They converted on just four of 18 three-point attempts and hit on less than half (6-for-14) of their free throw attempts. The Boilers committed an uncharacteristically high amount of turnovers, handing the ball over 15 times, including six from All-American Braden Smith.
Both teams tested out the waters in the first half, trading baskets and leads throughout the first ten minutes. Smith drilled a three-point basket with 9:40 to go in the first stanza to give Purdue a 21-16 lead.
This play proved to be the high-water mark for the Boilermakers. Iowa State’s Dominick Nelson scored a layup three minutes later, and the Cyclones reclaimed the lead at 24-23. They never trailed again.
Iowa State took a 35-31 lead into the halftime break, but they needed just the first three and a half minutes of the second half to put the game out of reach. After a 15-4 run to go up 50-35, Purdue never cut the deficit under double digits for the remainder of the game.
Boiler head coach Matt Painter acknowledged that the Cyclones’ burst out of the break spelled doom for his team.
“I thought they stole our spirit,” he said. “When we would get open ones and miss it, we’d get frustrated; trying to get fouled, whatever we were doing, our frustration level got there. You have to give Iowa State credit; our high frustration level was because of them. They were damn good. They took us to the woodshed.”
The Cyclones grew their advantage to 27 late in the game before settling for the final margin of victory.
Smith led Purdue in scoring with 11 points. Their two leading scorers, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn, were both held well below their season averages. Loyer entered Saturday with a 15.6 per game average, but he managed just five points on 2-for-8 shooting. Kaufman-Renn, Purdue’s second-leading scorer with 15.3 per game entering Saturday, made just one field goal and scored four points against the Cyclones.
The Boilermakers will now lean on their senior leaders to get the train back on the tracks. Following Saturday’s game, four-year starter Loyer began that process by saying how the ugly loss could serve as motivation going forward.
“When you lose games like this, it either derails your season or you can turn it around,” he said. “This really sucks right now, but it will probably end up being a good thing, showing us how much better we have to get and how much harder we have to play.”
Painter did not mince words after Saturday’s debacle. He not only lamented his team’s performance, but he also bluntly questioned Purdue’s grit.
“Their team was way better than our team in terms of embracing the physicality of the game and making plays through that. I just thought, overall, their details and their toughness were better than ours,” he said.
Purdue players are thankful that their schedule allows them to get the rotten taste out of their mouths sooner rather than later. If a football team suffers a mortifying defeat, it must wait a full week to avenge its disappointment. Luckily for the Boilermakers, they get to play on Wednesday against Big 10 foe Minnesota in West Lafayette, and that game will tip off at 7:00 pm EST.
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