Purdue responds to the moment, rallying for win over Marquette

With its back to the wall in its first marquee game of the season, Purdue saved its absolute best for last, beating Marquette 75-70 as part of the Gavitt Games. There’s a long season ahead, but this was a significant test passed for a team as new as the Boilermakers are.

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BRADEN SMITH’S STAR TURN

Playing in front of the liveliest crowd he’s ever played before, against an opponent intent to exploit his youth and with a key early win on the line for his brand-new team, Braden Smith took absolute command.

“Braden Smith was as much of a difference-maker as anyone tonight,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “For a freshman guard to have the wherewithal to be as aggressive as he was in the second half, especially the last quarter of the game, was a huge difference-maker.”

After getting a couple of early turnovers out of his system against Marquette’s press, Smith erupted in the second half, en route to matching Zach Edey with a team-high 20 points, needing just eight shots to do it.

“The coaches were telling me at halftime after I had those two quick turnovers, ‘You have to keep being aggressive,'” Smith said, “that I needed to have the ball in my hands, being able to make plays and create for others. Just having that confidence, (from the coaches) and also the players telling me, ‘Hey, go do your thing,’ that really helped.”

Purdue trailed 58-49 with just under 10 minutes to play, routed for a spell by a blistering surge from Marquette’s David Joplin, who responded to a Smith three breathing life into a Mackey Arena with a run of 11 straight points for the Eagles in the span of less than two-and-a-half minutes.

Zach Edey’s dominance on the interior and a couple of big shots from David Jenkins Jr., though, positioned Smith for a takeover.

It started with an acrobatic finish over the long and athletic Oso Ighodaro. Then, two free throws. Then a floater over Marquette’s would-be rim protectors.

That 6-0 Smith run led to him scoring nine of his 20 points over the final 5:46.

Meanwhile, after those early turnovers, Smith stood tall against Marquette’s press. Purdue finished the game with just six turnovers and shot 56 percent after halftime. And won.

Smith had a lot of help. Jenkins complemented his 10 points with rock-solid play as a secondary ball-handler. He didn’t turn the ball. He and Smith played together a lot in the second half, which they don’t often do in practice since they technically play the same position.

“I feel comfortable playing with him because I don’t feel like I’m the only one out there,” said Jenkins, his eye again dripping blood after a hit taken against Marquette. “And I know he feels the same way.”

ZACH EDEY IMPOSES HIS WILL

This was a matchup between two teams of starkly contrasting styles. To win out, Purdue needed the full force of Zach Edey’s impact. It got it.

In explaining Edey playing a new-career-high 33 minutes, Matt Painter described his center’s 20-point, 13-rebound, three-block showing well.

“You play 33 minutes, you don’t turn the ball over, you’re the best rebounder on the court and the best weapon on the court. You’re changing shots and blocking shots. It’s hard to take him off (the floor),” Painter said.

Purdue made some adjustments to its post-entry approach at halftime and it paid immediate dividends, as Edey scored the Boilermakers’ first eight points of the second half after a relatively quiet first.

Meanwhile … through two games, Edey has looked the part of an elite interior defender. He certainly had his moments against Marquette as well, the Eagles determined to spread Purdue out and attack off the dribble, specifically Edey.

In the end, Purdue’s towering identity won out over Marquette’s frenetic nature.

PURDUE DEFENSE RISES TO OCCASION

After leading by nine with less than 10 minutes left, Marquette made just two of its final 11 and both those shots came after Purdue had claimed a nine-point lead with just 46 seconds left. So that’s 0-for-9 prior to desperation time.

The Boilermakers struggled on the defensive glass, as Marquette generated numerous second and third opportunities, but Purdue paid little price for it on the scoreboard.

It was a moment for Purdue defensively. Had Marquette not gotten seven fast-break points among its eight points off turnovers, the numbers would have looked even better. Marquette shot just under 38 percent in both halves.

And there were clutch plays, none bigger than Caleb Furst‘s supreme effort to block Kam Jones’ seemingly open three-pointer with four-and-a-half minutes left.

“That was a big-time play,” Smart said of Furst’s block. “At the end of the year, that should be on the highlight tape.”

Then, Jenkins knocking a ball out of bounds off Marquette big Olivier-Maxence Prosper for a key turnover shortly thereafter.

Purdue showed its most energized self at the very end of a long, taxing game.

“I’m kind of exhausted; I’m not going to lie,” Smith said, generally, after logging 27 minutes against a high-pressure defense. “But when the fans are cheering and yelling like that and you see your teammates picking you up like they were, it makes you want to play that much harder and you kind of forget about it.”