Purdue 89 Wisconsin 73

Purdue 89 Wisconsin 73

Purdue rolls to easy victory at Wisconsin

Wisconsin sprinted out to a quick 9-2 lead in the first two minutes of the game, but Purdue bounced back and had a 10-9 lead within the next minute and 30 seconds.

Turnover difference was a critical factor in the first half. Wisconsin had 8 first half turnovers compared to only one for Purdue.

Very physical game that got chippy in the second half.

Key Stats

Total assists, Purdue 22, Wisconsin 7.

Wisconsin went from 54% shooting in the first half to 31% in the second half.

Purdue’s points off turnovers was 18. Wisconsin’s was 5 up until the closing minutes.

Key Individual Performances

Braden Smith broke the Big Ten record for career assists. He ended the night with 14 points, 12 assists.

Wisconsin’s leading scorer Nick Boyd, 24 points.

Purdue had 5 players score in double figures (Loyer 20, Cox 14, Smith 14, Cluff 12, Kaufman-Renn 11)

What it means

Purdue remains undefeated in conference play. They host Washington and Penn State next week.

Purdue picked up a nice road Quad 1 win.

Wisconsin falls to 9-5 and remains a team not currently projected in the NCAA tournament field.

Quotes

Purdue coach, Matt Painter: “As my former coach often said, it’s not who you play but when you play them. I think we caught Wisconsin at a good time. I’m sure they’ll get on a big run later in the season.”

More from Painter on Braden Smith breaking the Big Ten assists record: “It’s pretty amazing he broke that record with 17 games left in the season and the Big Ten Conference Tournament and NCAA Tournament still ahead. It goes to show how special of a player he is.”