Purdue ripped off an insane 21-2 run to blow past Illinois State, securing a 76-59 victory and, more importantly, dodging their first 0-3 start since the 1950-1951 season. Talk about high stakes early in the year, right? That 1950-51 squad finished 8-14 overall and a brutal 4-10 in conference play. Avoiding that kind of historical flashback was clearly on everyone’s mind.
West Jr. Steps Up Big Time When It Counted
Heading into this matchup, the Boilermakers shook things up, plugging Antione West Jr. and Jack Benter into the starting lineup. That move wasn’t exactly a shocker if you watched the substitution patterns from the two overtimes in their last game against Valparaiso. And man, did that move pay off! West Jr. got the John Wooden Memorial Player of the Game nod, and you gotta hope this is his real coming out party. The redshirt freshman was absolutely money, going 7-11 from the floor and a lights-out 3-4 from beyond the arc. He wasn’t just scoring, he was the guy who sparked that game-changing run that ultimately put Illinois State away.
First Half Woes Still Lingered
While the win was huge, it wasn’t a perfect 40 minutes for Purdue. The team needed to win, sure, but they also needed to shoot better, show better defensive effort, and honestly, just play a full game. And in the first half against Illinois State, some familiar problems showed their face. The offense was often stagnant, with clumps of players just standing around the perimeter. That’s no way to generate buckets. They were streaky too, hitting seven shots in a row at one point, then immediately following that up by going 1-9 toward the end of the half. “Feast or famine” might be too strong, because “feast” wasn’t really on the menu.
Even with those struggles, they did manage to shoot the three ball better, going 4-10, though they attempted far fewer. West Jr. dropped two threes, with Benter and Jacobsen each adding one. Jacobsen actually led the team in scoring at halftime with 10 points. On defense, the Boilermakers did a solid job against Illinois State’s three-point attack, holding a team that had been shooting over 50% from deep in their first two games to a mere 3-16 from long range in the first half, even with one of those being a lucky bank-in. Despite those defensive numbers, Illinois State kept chipping away. Purdue never looked comfortable, heading into the locker room with just an eight-point lead, 36-28. That’s compared to the 12-point lead they had against Valparaiso last Friday. West Jr. gave them a small boost with a nice three to end the first half.
The Second Half Squeeze and the Game-Changing Run
The second half started looking a lot like the Valparaiso game, with Illinois State slowly eroding Purdue’s lead. It got tight, real tight, down to just two points at 50-48 with 8:55 remaining on the clock. But that’s when the switch flipped. The Boilermakers, thanks in large part to West Jr.’s heroics, exploded with that massive 21-2 run to seal the deal 76-59. They secured the win, avoided a devastating 0-3 start, and showed glimpses of what they can be. Now, the real test is whether they can build on that momentum, clean up the first half issues, and play a full 40 minutes consistently. That 21-2 run was huge, but consistency is what’s next for this team.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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