After a head-scratching loss to Marquette earlier this week, the Purdue men's basketball team returned home to Mackey Arena Saturday afternoon to try to make it back to .500 on the season. And, as happened the last time the two teams played, in 2017, the Boilers easily defeated Chicago State -- this time 93-49.
Toward the start of the game it looked as though the home team could be in for another long one as they struggled to generate quality offense against the Cougar zone defense. Coach Matt Painter's squad shot just 40 percent from the field in the first half as a result and led by only ten -- in a game where they were favored by 47.
The start of the second half was another story, as Purdue scored 26 of the first 29 points netted after the half -- all part of a 48-11 run that spanned the break.
Purdue outrebounded its opponents 48-22 on the night, with 23 of those coming on the offensive end (leading to 33 second chance points). Purdue also took adavatage of poor ball control by Chicago State, turning 17 turnovers into 25 points on the other end -- all while committing just 8 giveaways of their own.
Purdue had four players score double figures on the day. Freshman Isaiah Thompson led the way with 17 points, including hitting five three-point shots. Aaron Wheeler had a double-double, with ten points and ten rebounds in just 18 minutes played. Evan Boudreaux chipped in 14 on 60 percent shooting.
Purdue vastly improved its free-throw shooting from the loss to Marquette, shooting 71 percent as a team (compared to less than 50 percent against the Golden Eagles). Head coach Matt Painter said he implored his players to shoot more free throws, both in practice and on their own time throughout the last week due to their struggles Wednesday.
The Boilermakers have a week until they take the court again. The will play their next game in Mackey Arena against Jacksonville State on November 23.
