No Students? No Sweat! Purdue Steamrolls Eastern Illinois 109-62
On a sleepy Friday morning, while the student section was likely still recovering from a Thanksgiving turkey coma, the Purdue Boilermakers decided to serve up their own holiday feast at Mackey Arena. The main course? The thoroughly outmatched Eastern Illinois Panthers. The final score, a lopsided 109-62, tells you pretty much everything you need to know.
Let’s be real, nobody was expecting a nail-biter here. This game was less of a “challenge” and more of a “stretch your legs and don’t get hurt” scrimmage wedged between a successful Bahamas tournament and the looming Big Ten season opener. For Purdue to win, they basically just had to roll out of bed and find their jerseys. No disrespect to the Panthers, but the talent gap was wider than the Grand Canyon.
And boy, did that gap show in the first half.
A Tale Of Two Halves (Sort Of)
Purdue stumbled out of the gate. We’re talking about a “fourth glass of wine at Thanksgiving dinner” level of sloppy. In the first half alone, they racked up nine turnovers. Coach Painter and his staff aim for single digits for an entire game, so you can imagine the steam coming out of his ears. Eastern Illinois, to their credit, capitalized on these gifts, turning them into 15 points. That’s right, over half of their first-half scoring came directly from Purdue handing them the ball.
The Boilermakers looked like they were still digesting yesterday’s turkey, with at least four turnovers being simple travel calls. It wasn’t even a case of a high-pressure defense; it was just pure, unadulterated carelessness.
So how in the world did Purdue still walk into the locker room with a comfortable 53-28 lead? Two words: Rebounding. Sheer, utter dominance on the glass. At halftime, Purdue was outrebounding the Panthers 19-6. For a few minutes, the disparity was an absurd 18-3. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a rebounding margin that comical. On top of that, they shot the lights out, hitting 50% from three and a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.
It’s a luxury to have big men like Daniel Jacobsen and Oscar Cluff draining free throws like they’re Steph Curry. It’s also a luxury to have Fletcher Loyer casually drop 9 points on just two shots. That, my friends, is what you call getting the job done efficiently.
Jacobsen’s Breakout Performance
If there was one player who decided this was his personal coming-out party, it was Daniel Jacobsen. The 7-foot-4 giant was an absolute menace, flirting with a triple-double and putting on a clinic in the paint. He finished with a career-high 24 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting, snagged 9 rebounds, and sent 6 shots packing for a career-high in blocks. You know a big man has officially arrived when opposing fans start muttering, “He’s just tall.” Welcome to the club, Daniel. You’ve made it.
The Inevitable Avalanche
If Eastern Illinois held onto any sliver of hope during halftime, Purdue snatched it away and stomped on it within minutes of the second half. A blistering 25-9 run to start the period effectively ended the game. From there, it was just a matter of stat-padding and seeing how deep Painter would go into his bench.
The Boilermakers’ passing in the second half was a thing of beauty. Braden Smith was dishing out dimes left and right, finishing with 10 assists and moving into second place on the all-time Big Ten career list. The team even treated us to another “Purdue avalanche”—a scoring run of 20-0 or more—for the second game in a row. They went on a 25-0 tear before finally letting the Panthers get back on the board. Ouch.
Wrapping It Up and Looking Ahead
So, what are the takeaways from a blowout like this?
- No injuries. The most important stat of the day.
- Jacobsen is evolving. The big man is becoming a serious problem for opponents.
- Braden Smith is a passing wizard. He continues to climb the record books.
- The offense can score in bunches. Dropping over 100 points is always a good sign.
- The starters got some rest. Painter managed to limit the minutes for Smith, Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn, keeping them fresh for the battles ahead.
It was a classic “take care of business” game. Purdue got the easy win, and now their focus shifts to the treacherous start of the Big Ten season on the road against Rutgers. Why is it always Rutgers?
