Purdue finally got into the win column Monday night, and the 76-59 result over Illinois State came with a few clear signs of what Matt Painter may want to keep rolling with.
The biggest one showed up in the starting lineup. After opening the season with two losses, Painter made a switch and put Antione West Jr. at point guard in place of Omer Mayer, while Jack Benter started at the three instead of Gicarri Harris.
The change paid off. West looked more at ease in that role than he had off the bench in the first two games, and the offense flowed better with him in it from the opening tip.
He finished with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
Benter gave Purdue a major lift too, and in a game that stayed tighter than the final margin might suggest, he was all over the place. He finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists, but his impact went well beyond the box score.
He took a charge early, helped create extra possessions, and delivered strong entry passes to get Daniel Jacobsen clean looks near the rim. He also posted a team-best plus-24.
Jacobsen, though, was the engine. The 7-foot-4 center put up 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and he did it on just eight field-goal attempts.
He also knocked down one of his three shots from beyond the arc. Illinois State had no real answer for him, especially with Chase Walker in early foul trouble, and Jacobsen has now scored 20 points in each of Purdue’s first three games.
The only knock was that he probably should have seen even more touches. Purdue could have opened things up earlier if the ball had gone to him more often in the post.
The game turned for good around the eight-minute mark when Purdue led by only four. Benter hit a pair of free throws, West’s defensive pressure forced a loose ball, and Benter came up with the steal before burying a three.
On the next trip, after a defensive stop, West missed a jumper from the free-throw line, Jacobsen battled through the box-out, and then hammered home a put-back slam to push the lead to nine. That stretch sparked a 21-2 run and put the Redbirds away.
Purdue also did a strong job taking away Illinois State’s biggest perimeter weapon. The Redbirds came in shooting better than 50% from three, but they went just 5-of-25 from long range against the Boilermakers.
Three of those makes came on low-shot-clock heaves, and another came late after the outcome had already been decided. Illinois State still shot well inside the arc and worked effectively in the paint, but Purdue’s defense on the three-point line made a major difference.
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