No. 10 Iowa State's hot shooting takes down No. 1 Purdue

After a quick start that saw Purdue feast on Iowa State’s turnovers, the Boilermakers were teetering as the first half came to a close.

The teetering became a crash for the nation’s No. 1 team to start the second half.

The 10th-ranked Cyclones blitzed the Boilermakers after halftime and ended the program’s 36-game non-conference winning streak at Mackey Arena with a convincing 81-58 victory

.PDF: Purdue-Iowa State statistics

PURDUE COACH MATT PAINTER

PURDUE PLAYERS BRADEN SMITH, FLETCHER LOYER AND TREY KAUFMAN-RENN

IOWA STATE

It’s the first non-conference home loss since 2019 against Texas.

Iowa State led 35-31, tightening up its defense and protecting the ball, and came out on fire after halftime. The Cyclones made their first six field goal attempts and put on a shooting clinic in the first eight minutes by hitting 11 of 13. They finished the game shooting 54.1%, boosted by the nearly 60% in the second half.

The advantage ballooned to 61-43 with 12:03 to play, and Purdue faced a 24-point deficit with 8:32 left.

The Boilermakers couldn’t keep up, a surprising development considering how efficient coach Matt Painter’s team has been through the first eight games.

But when Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn missed 14 of their first 16 shots, and Purdue made 22.2% from 3-point range, these are expected results.

Meanwhile, Iowa State showcased its shooting from beyond the arc and the mid-range, slicing up Purdue’s defense on nearly every possession after halftime.

The Cyclones made their first five from 3-point range to start the second half. Iowa State leads the nation in 3-point shooting and drained 22 in its last game against Alcorn State.

Milan Momcilovic scored 13 of his 20 points in the second half. Blake Buchanan had eight of his 12 points after halftime. Killyan Toure added 13 points, hitting 3 of 5 from 3-point range, and Joshua Jefferson scored 11 and also made three 3-pointers.

Oscar Cluff was the first Boilermaker to reach double figures, but that came with five minutes to play. Daniel Jacobsen, who saw his consecutive field goal streak end at 21, had 10 points. Braden Smith finished with 11 points and eight assists.

“STOLE OUR SPIRIT”

Saturday’s outcome for the Boilermakers can’t be summed up better.

“I just thought they stole our spirit,” Painter said.

The Cyclones came into Purdue’s house, cleaned out the refrigerator, rearranged the furniture, stole the big screen TV, and took out a home equity loan on the property. They certainly owned the Boilermakers on this day.

“Their determination and their fight was better than ours,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “We’ve had tough games like this before, not a lot of them, but we’ve had them, and they understand what that means.

“You’ve got to respond. You’ve got to listen a little more. You’ve got to play a little bit harder, and you’ve got to have a little bit more intestinal fortitude.”  

The Boilermakers needed better execution on the offensive end, more awareness defensively, and to overcome the frustrating moments that surfaced throughout the second half, when Iowa State outscored the Boilermakers by 19 points.

“Obviously, they hit some shots, but I think they were just more connected,” said Kaufman-Renn, who finished 1 of 8 from the field.

The frustration with the lack of offense carried over to the defensive end. The Boilermakers were a step or two slow in recovering to shooters, couldn’t stay ahead of the Cyclones’ passing game, and didn’t finish possessions with enough rebounds.  

“Just how they were connected defensively, and we weren’t,” Smith said. “I thought we gave up some mental errors and some stuff away from our rules, and they made us pay.”

SECOND-HALF WOES

Although Iowa State took over late in the first half, the Boilermakers were still in a good position.

Purdue had committed just five turnovers and was holding up on the boards, despite shooting 37.1% and 2 of 10 from 3-point range. However, the perimeter shots didn’t fall, and the Boilermakers struggled with turnovers.

“I just thought if we could have 10 total for the game, that would be good for us,” Painter said. “And we have 10 in the second half. More than anything, it was just an avalanche.

“We have a good offense, and they made us not look like we had a good offense because of their pressure, their ability to switch. We just got bogged down more than anything.”

The frustration with the lack of offense was visible from the top row of Mackey Arena. The 3-point shooting has been a strength for this team, which has made 10 or more in five games, and Saturday’s four represented a season low.

Due to Iowa State’s defensive pressure, the Boilermakers started to rush shots and weren’t in rhythm. It led to numerous misses.

“When we would get open ones that we would miss and then get frustrated, and we’re trying to get fouled,” Painter said. “You’ve got to give Iowa State credit. Our reason for having a high frustration level was them. They were damn good. They took us to the woodshed.”

LEARNING LESSON

It’s December, and Saturday wasn’t a Big Ten game. But the response is what matters heading into Wednesday’s conference matchup against Minnesota, which knocked off Indiana last week.

“It sucks right now, but it’ll probably end up being a good thing, showing how much better we’ve got to get and how much harder we’ve got to play,” Loyer said.

This won’t be Purdue’s last opportunity against a top 10 opponent since the Big Ten schedule will feature plenty of marquee showdowns in January and February. And it likely isn’t the Boilermakers’ last loss of the season, and how they bounce back is ultimately how they’ll be judged.

“We’ve got to be able to respond,” Painter said. “Keep your focus. That’s the main deal. We’ve got to get ready for Minnesota and be prepared.”

The approach to Wednesday’s game should be simple.

“We’ve got to be the harder-playing team,” Loyer said. “Tonight, it was Iowa State. That can’t happen, especially in front of this great fanbase.”