Purdue vs. Penn State Recap: Braden Smith Helps Purdue Orchestrate Gritty 93-85 Win at Mackey
If you walked into Mackey Arena expecting a leisurely Saturday afternoon blowout against a depleted Penn State squad, you probably spent the first twenty minutes checking your pulse. College basketball has a funny way of humbling you the moment you get comfortable.
Purdue came into this matchup sitting pretty, undefeated in Big Ten play, riding high, and hosting a Nittany Lions team that was missing its leading scorer, Kayden Mingo. On paper? This should have been a rout. But games aren’t played on paper, and for a solid chunk of the afternoon, it looked like Penn State hadn’t received the memo that they were supposed to roll over.
In the end, the Boilermakers secured a 93-85 victory, moving to 14-1 on the season and 4-0 in the conference. But let’s be honest: this was the definition of winning ugly. And in the Big Ten, sometimes ugly is the most beautiful thing you can put on the scoreboard.
A First Half Shootout That Stunned the Mackey Faithful
There was a weird energy in the building during the first half, mostly because the visitors simply refused to miss. You have to tip your cap to Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades. Despite missing key pieces, his guys came out swinging, playing with the kind of “nothing to lose” swagger that gives opposing coaches ulcers.
The Nittany Lions, who had been shooting a pedestrian 32% from deep on the season, suddenly turned into the 2017 Golden State Warriors. They drained eight three-pointers in the first half alone, shooting 47% from beyond the arc. Every time it felt like Purdue might pull away, Penn State answered.
The crowd, usually a deafening sixth man, was largely taken out of the equation, reduced to nervous murmurs as the teams traded buckets. Purdue’s defense, usually a staple of their game, was leaky at best. They allowed 44 points in the opening frame.
If it weren’t for Braden Smith putting the offense on his back, Purdue might have been staring down a halftime deficit. Instead, they clung to a razor-thin 45-44 lead at the break, thanks largely to Smith’s 17 first-half points.
Braden Smith’s Masterclass Performance
We need to talk about Braden Smith. In a game where the energy was flat and the defense was suspect, Smith was the undeniable heartbeat of the team. The senior point guard didn’t just play well; he orchestrated the entire afternoon.
He played nearly every minute of the contest and finished with a stat line that jumps off the page: 26 points and a staggering 14 assists. But stats only tell half the story. It was his command of the floor that saved the day. When the offense stagnated, he drove the lane. When shooters got open, he found them with laser precision.
He was arguably the only reason Purdue stayed afloat during those defensive lapses in the first half, and he was the engine that finally put the game out of reach in the second. If there was a “John Wooden Player of the Game” award handed out in the locker room, Smith probably didn’t even have to stand up to accept it. Everyone already knew.
The Turning Point: Cox and Loyer Spark the Run
The second half started with a bit more fire. Maybe it was Matt Painter’s halftime speech, or maybe the team just got inspired by the World Champion frisbee dogs that performed at the break (seriously, never underestimate the power of halftime entertainment).
Purdue opened the half on a 10-3 run, finally breathing a little life into the crowd. Fletcher Loyer, who had a quiet start, found his rhythm, hitting crucial shots to keep the momentum rolling. He finished with 17 points, shaking off a cold start to go 4-of-8 from deep.
But the real dagger came with about five minutes left on the clock. It was C.J. Cox who provided the spark that finally burned Penn State’s hopes. In a chaotic sequence, Cox grabbed a steal, ran the floor with Smith, and converted a tough and-one layup. On the very next possession?
Another steal, another find from Smith to Cox, and another trip to the line.That 7-0 run pushed the lead to 14 points. For the first time all afternoon, you could physically feel the tension leave the building. Mackey Arena finally got loud, and the Nittany Lions ran out of gas.
Resilience from the Underdog
Credit where credit is due: Penn State played its heart out. Freddie Dilione was spectacular, dropping a career-high 25 points and looking like the best player on the floor for stretches of the game. He shouldered the scoring load in Mingo’s absence and kept his team in the fight far longer than anyone expected.
They capitalized on Purdue’s turnovers, converting 10 turnovers into 18 points, and refused to go away until the final buzzer. In a loss, they proved they are going to be a headache for plenty of other Big Ten contenders this winter.
Surviving the Big Ten Grind
This wasn’t a masterpiece for Purdue. The rebounding battle was virtually tied (Penn State actually edged them out 28-27 overall), and the defensive intensity took a holiday for the first 20 minutes. But in January, you don’t ask “how,” you just ask “how many.”
Purdue found a way to win when they weren’t at their best, against a team playing with house money. Oscar Cluff was efficient as ever (23 points on 10-of-11 shooting), and the stars showed up when it mattered most. They move on to face Iowa on Wednesday, hoping for a cleaner performance, but happy to bank another win in the toughest conference in America.
