Cox, Harris fuel early spurt as No. 14 Purdue wraps up exhibition play with lopsided victory

It didn’t take long for C.J. Cox and Gicarri Harris to adjust to their new home surroundings.

The pair of freshmen hadn’t seen a game at Mackey Arena before Wednesday’s exhibition matchup against Grand Valley State but quickly settled on the couch and put their feet up on the ottoman.

Harris, who was in the starting lineup for the second straight exhibition game, and Cox showcased their talents again with a mix of midrange jumpers, 3-pointers, and defensive intensity as the 14^th-ranked Boilermakers cruised to a 99-41 victory.

PDF: Purdue-Grand Valley State stats

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Purdue plays its season opener Monday against Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Cox and Harris combined for 10 points during one stretch in the first half as the Boilermakers continued to stretch the lead against the Lakers, who lost to Toledo and Nebraska in a pair of exhibition games.

While the atmosphere was new, Cox and Harris have blended in with little problems.

Purdue was expected to overwhelm Grand Valley State, and it did so behind Trey Kaufman-Renn, whose physical play and presence frightened the Lakers one day before Halloween.

He was 7 of 7 from the field and finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, powering his way through the lane en route to crashing the offensive glass. Cox added 15 points, and Harris chipped in 10.

Fletcher Loyer added 15 points, and Myles Colvin came off the bench and made an impact early with a 3-pointer from the corner, two layups, and an offensive rebound to finish with 10.

Matt Painter moved freshman center Daniel Jacobsen into the starting lineup, replacing Will Berg. Jacobsen had six points in 14 minutes.

STARTS WITH DEFENSE FOR HARRIS

Harris called his first Mackey Arena experience “amazing.”

He’ll have more nights like Wednesday and has ingrained himself into the program based on how he performs at the defensive end. With the game already decided, Harris forced a backcourt turnover early in the second half, much to the delight of the crowd.

“I just wanted to bring my defensive intensity, and that started off at the beginning of the game,” Harris said. “That translates to offense. I just wanted to do my job, making the right reads and playing the right role on offense and defense.”

There’s a reason why the pair will see a lot of minutes this season. They work better with Loyer and Braden Smith, a key component in how lineups will be constructed this season.

Loyer, Smith, and Kaufman-Renn are the Boilermakers’ top three, and whoever fills the two spots must feed off the trio. No different than finding the right combination that allowed Zach Edey and Smith to shine last season.

“Those two guys have really been good for Braden and Fletch,” Painter said. “They give us another defender, they both give us quickness, they both give us a ballhandler, and I think that’s going to help us.”

Both have established themselves as two-way players and can impact the game when their shots aren’t falling. Although both have plenty to learn and will deal with hard lessons throughout the season, they’re ball hawks on the perimeter and are eager to defend.

“They both can guard people, they both want to guard people,” Painter said.  “They’re students of the game. They can make shots. Harris can get to the rim, and C.J.’s pull-up game speaks for itself.”

IMPROVEMENT ON D

Different opponent compared to Creighton.

Different style compared to the Blue Jays.

However, Painter needed to see defensive strides as opposed to what transpired in last weekend’s charity exhibition game in Omaha.

“Defensively, it starts being able to handle the pressure,” Painter said. “Right away, I said to those guards whenever they got it – ‘Hey man, those guys are up there on the ball.’ They were quick, they were hawking the basketball.”

Despite more pressure, Purdue kept its turnovers to single digits for the second straight exhibition game. Its first turnover was a shot clock violation with 3:57 left before halftime and the Boilermakers up 23.

Loyer said it was a step forward after last weekend.

“Obviously, it’s not as high level as Creighton, but it’s a pretty good offense with skilled guards,” he said. “Just making sure we’re doing our job. Whether it’s Creighton or Grand Valley, we’re still talking, we’re still in our gaps, we’re still blowing up their sets like we try to do. The last couple of days we emphasized communication and being ready to go from the tip.”

OPTIONS AT CENTER

Through two exhibition games, the center spot remains open.

Jacobsen played 14 minutes on Tuesday. Freshman Raleigh Burgess logged 12. Caleb Furst was on the floor for 12, and Will Berg saw 10 minutes of action. No question, Painter and his staff have options, and there’s depth regardless of who lands in the starting position.

Kaufman-Renn can hold down the center spot, but who slides into the power forward position? The Boilermakers will need another big to emerge.

“You always give a wait-and-see to someone who hasn’t done it yet,” Painter said. “The people that have been through it before should have an advantage there.”

The aforementioned group combined for 16 rebounds, led by six from Berg.

“First and foremost, who can we be functional with offensively, and who can rebound,” Painter said. “Who rebounds at a high level and defends. That’s the person that will end up separating themselves.”