Purdue Wraps Up Perfect Non Conference slate

Purdue Wraps up PERFECT Non Conference slate

by: Steven Stremming, Excel H Sports/United States Basketball Writers Association of America

photos by: Tony Harper/Excel H Sports/Indiana Sports Network

In yet another sold out crowd at Mackey Arena, the Boilermakers shook off early turnovers and ended with a near thirty-point spread.

The determining factors were decided early, as New Castle’s Mason Gillis entered the game and pulled down five boards and scored six points and gave hustle and was the “it” factor.

Photo credit: Purdue University Athletics

The “ice” of the game was the shooting of Homestead graduate Fletcher Loyer who poured in multiple deep range shots and pull-ups.

 

For the game, Gillis was four of six from the floor, including two treys, recorded nine boards and ten points in seventeen plus minutes on the floor.

Loyer finished with a team-leading 14 points and only a single turnover in over 26 minutes of floor time.

Trey Kaufman-Renn played his second consecutive solid game as he scored ten points, collected six boards for the Boilers.

Sophomore Braden Smith played yet another solid game while scoring seven points, he led the Boilers with eight assists and recording three official steals.

Both Zach Edey and Lance Jones both were solid in their floor time.

Edey scored thirteen points and seven boards in near 26 minutes and Jones tallied nine points.

Camden Heide showed his progress yet again, where he scored seven points on three of six from the field.

(the following is credit sourced to Purdue University Athletics)

• Purdue improved to 12-1 overall with an 80-53 win over Eastern Kentucky in the final non-conference game of the season for the Boilermakers. The win was Purdue’s fifth in a row.
• Purdue won its 35^th straight non-conference, regular-season game, good for the ninth-longest streak in NCAA history and the second-longest streak in Big Ten history. Purdue became the third team in the last 50 years (Syracuse 2010 to 2012; Duke 1992-94) to record three straight unbeaten, non-conference regular seasons.
• During Purdue’s streak, it has beaten 15 top-100 KenPom teams and 12 top-50 KenPom teams. Eleven of the teams were top-20 KenPom teams, and seven were ranked in the top 11 of the AP Top 25 poll.
• The win was also Purdue’s 26^th straight non-conference home win dating to Nov. 9, 2019, vs. Texas. The 26 straight wins is one shy of the school record for non-conference home victories.
• Purdue has scored at least 80 points in seven straight games, matching the longest streak for the Boilermakers since the 1987-88 season (10 games).
• Matt Painter won his 450^th career game and his 425^th game at Purdue.
• Purdue is now 13-5 when ranked as the nation’s No. 1 team.
• The Boilermakers are 70-15 since the start of the 2021-22 season (third-most wins in the country) and 41-7 since the start of last year.
• The Boilermakers are 79-3 since the start of the 2017-18 season when scoring 80 or more points.
• Purdue has won 15 straight games when forcing 10 or more turnovers.
• Purdue was whistled for just seven fouls, tied for the second fewest in game in school history (6 vs. Omaha; Nov. 26, 2021).
• Purdue had seven players score between seven and 14 points. The Boilermaker bench combined for 27 points.
• Mason Gillis narrowly missed his first career double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Purdue is 28-3 during his career when he makes two or more 3-pointers in a game.
• Zach Edey tallied 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal to record his 64^th straight game in double-figures.
• Edey reached 300 points, 30 blocks and 12 wins in the first 13 games of the season, becoming the first player (college or NBA) since the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal in 2001-02 to do this.
• Trey Kaufman-Renn scored in double-figures for the second straight game for the first time in his career with 10 points and six rebounds. In 36 minutes over the last two games, he has 25 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, while going 10-of-16 from the field.
• Purdue’s main power forwards (Kaufman-Renn and Gillis) combined for 20 points, 15 rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes.