Mr. & Mrs. Boilerdowd gathered around the radio to listen to the riveting action from Mackey as Purdue eeks out a "W" (Special thanks to Comcast!)
The first time Purdue played and beat Iowa, the game was marked by big shots by Keaton Grant and a gritty performance down the stretch by the young Boilers.
This time in Mackey, Keaton put the game out of reach with a big shot once again with 1.4 seconds. This game's unusual foul-riddled ending was a microcosm of the rest of the game and luckily, Purdue came out on top, 51-50.
Gone were the big three pointers by Hummel, Grant, Kramer and Co...replaced by stupid fouls, poor decision-making and poor shooting. E'Twaun Moore led the offensive explosion with 12 massive points and Scott Martin poured in 11...Iowa's leading scorer had just 14 points.
So how bad was Purdue's offense? Well, the defense forced 22 Hawkeye turnovers, 11 were steals...conversely, the Boilers barely had double-digit turnovers...yet only yielded 51 points. That said, Purdue wasn't even in the bonus with just 4 minutes left as the Hawkeyes played force field defense never touching the Purdue cagers. Heck, even if they would have been, it wouldn't have mattered since Purdue barely shot over 50% from the charity stripe all game.
Many, Painter included, feared a letdown following the big win versus Wisconsin, and we all got it. Thank goodness this let down netted a game in the left-hand column at the end of the evening. Hopefully, this is the game many Purdue doubters saw coming...with the exception of the outcome- a poor showing versus a bad team.
You live and die by the three, and while Scott Martin shot well from behind the arc, no one else did...Hastily-selected bricks and lousy free throw shooting nearly yielded Purdue another loss at home to another bad team...but it didn't. As a result, Purdue's hopes for an invite to the Spring Ball are still alive and well...Next up, Illinois.