Wisconsin torments No. 15 Purdue with barrage of 3-pointers, spoiling Senior Day
When Wisconsin’s John Blackwell drained a 3-pointer nine minutes into Saturday’s game, it didn’t seem to carry a lot of significance.
But it did.
It was the Badgers’ fourth 3-pointer of the game, matching their total against the Boilermakers on Jan. 5 at the Kohl Center. It was a game Purdue won comfortably, in part because Wisconsin couldn’t find its 3-point shooting on that day.
The Badgers found their shooting touch Saturday inside Mackey Arena, draining 3-pointer after 3-pointer to cruise past the 15th-ranked Boilermakers 97-93.
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PURDUE COACH MATT PAINTER
PURDUE’S BRADEN SMITH, TREY KAUFMAN-RENN AND FLETCHER LOYER
The loss prevents Purdue from securing one of the top four seeds in next week’s Big Ten tournament. The Boilermakers will begin play on Thursday in Chicago.
Purdue had gone 13,984 days since losing when scoring 90 or more points, having won 134 straight games. The last loss came on Nov. 24, 1987, to Iowa State (104-96).
Wisconsin’s 3-point shooting tormented Purdue’s defense all day. In that first meeting, the Badgers missed 21 of 25 from beyond the arc. On Saturday, the Badgers made 18 of 34 from 3-point range to send the Boilermakers to their fifth home loss, including four to Big Ten teams.
The Badgers never cooled off. During a 10-minute stretch in the first half, Wisconsin attempted 13 straight 3-pointers. The Badgers erased a 20-13 deficit and created a 44-40 advantage by hitting eight 3-pointers during that stretch.
When the Boilermakers made a push in the second half, Wisconsin had answers. The Badgers made 18 of 34 from 3-point range, each seemingly providing a dagger.
Purdue pulled within one possession down the stretch but couldn’t deliver the necessary stops on defense.
Fletcher Loyer hit six 3-pointers and scored 23 points. In the process, Loyer set the program record for career 3-pointers. Braden Smith added 20 points and seven assists. Trey Kaufman-Renn had 16 points.
Blackwell finished with 25 points, hitting five 3-pointers, and Nick Boyd added 23 for the Badgers, who improved to 7-43 all-time in Mackey Arena. Wisconsin played without Nolan Winter, the team’s third-leading scorer. He suffered an ankle injury earlier this week.
The Badgers set the tone in the first half, hitting 12 of 19 from 3-point range. Wisconsin attempted just four 2-point field goals in the first half. The 12 3-pointers set a program record for one half.
Purdue shot 53.8% from 3-point range in the first half but trailed by 52-47 at halftime.
FAILED TO CAPITALIZE
Loyer nearly tilted the game in Purdue’s favor with an impressive 59-second stretch in the second half.
Steal.
Traditional three-point play.
3-pointer.
And he draws a charge.
The combination of plays brought the Boilermakers within 61-60, and eventually they took the lead, but couldn’t stop the Badgers.
“It felt pretty good, but obviously you don’t win the game, so it doesn’t really matter,” Loyer said.
In the moment, this team appeared ready to seize control and ride the momentum and energy from the 106th straight sellout into a Senior Day celebration.
But Wisconsin didn’t falter in the hostile environment, maintained its poise, and regained control.
“It gave us that boost that we needed, but for us, we didn’t capitalize on it when we had the momentum,” Smith said. “We were maybe one or two stops away from probably changing the basketball game overall.
“We were hitting shots. We were scoring at will. Tack on six points with two 3s, and we’re up seven. It’s a totally different basketball game. They’re calling time out. We’ve got momentum, but we just got to get that stop.”
However, Loyer did become the program’s all-time leader in 3-pointers after making six. He has 282 career 3-pointers, passing Carsen Edwards’ total by one.
“It means quite a bit to me,” Loyer said. “Spent a lot of time and I do a lot of work to shoot 3s. These guys do a lot of work to get me the ball. Coach does a lot of work to get me open. So, credit to Braden. He’s probably assisted more to me … that’s got to be some stat. I wouldn’t have done it without a point guard like him.”
BETTER SPACING
How did the Badgers go from shooting 4 of 25 from 3-point range against the Boilermakers in the Kohl Center in January to making 18 of 34 on the road Saturday?
There’s no easy answer.
Wisconsin started slow, missing five of its first seven attempts from beyond the arc, but then started to find its rhythm. The Badgers made 7 of 8 during a seven-minute stretch to erase the Boilermakers’ early nine-point advantage.
“I thought our spacing was bad,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. “We were on top of each other, and we were too close. We adjusted some stuff on where we were putting the ball screens, and it gave us better spacing.
“And then you surround playmakers with shooters, and good things happen. Nick was creating and put a lot of pressure on that defense, and guys have to make shots. There were things that we felt we could take advantage of, but you still have to go play, and the players have to perform, and they did that terrifically.”
Blackwell, Boyd, Austin Rapp, and Braden Carrington hitting 3-pointers wasn’t a surprise. But Aleksas Bieliauskas, making 4 of 5 from beyond the arc, contributed to the shooting success and Purdue’s defensive downfall. Bieliauskas was shooting 31.7% before Saturday.
“He listens really well because (Friday) in practice, I told him, ‘A.B., you’re gonna have to shoot five 3s.’ He shot five. I didn’t tell him he couldn’t shoot more, but I said you have to shoot five,” Gard said.
“With the coverages and Body and Blackwell put so much pressure on dribble penetration and playing on the ball screen, and how this team is built. It was his opportunity. He was the one that found himself the recipient of those passes.”
“YOU’VE GOT TO FIGURE IT OUT”
Can the Boilermakers fix their issues heading into the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments?
They’re guaranteed only two more games this season, one in the conference tournament and one in the NCAA. Purdue must shore up its defense on the ball and challenge perimeter shooters. The breakdowns are coming fast and furious, and the Boilermakers are caught in rotations and bad matchups.
It’s been a never-ending cycle, mostly at Mackey Arena, where they’ve been sliced up by 3-pointers and teams attacking the rim off dribble penetration. Offense hasn’t been the issue, and the Boilermakers know it.
“Offense normally for us isn’t an issue, and I think we do a good job of getting guys the ball and spots to be successful and to make shots,” Smith said. “We’ve had some games where shots haven’t fallen, and you’ve got to find different ways to win.
“I think really think the thing that we need to improve on most is just defensively. We’ve talked about it since the start of summer practices, but that’s really what it is. When we’re connected defensively, it just makes offense that much easier.”
It would’ve been hard to imagine at the beginning of the season to see the Boilermakers in this position. From preseason No. 1 in the country to tie for sixth in the standings and the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten tournament, and five home losses, including allowing 90 points or more twice in the last four games at Mackey Arena.
No one could have written this script, but it has become this team’s reality.
“I’m excited about it, and like I said out there, we’re not giving into this shit,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “We’re the people that do it. You’ve got to go back to the drawing board. You’ve got to watch tape. You’ve got to figure it out.
“These guys have been through a lot of experiences, and that’s our plan. Hopefully, we’re playing our best basketball at the end. Obviously, we haven’t played our best basketball here in the last 10 games.”
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