Purdue kept rolling in Canada on Tuesday night, knocking off the University of Calgary 79-48 to move to 3-0 on the trip. This one wasn’t driven by a single scorer. It was a team win, with the Boilermakers spreading the offense around and leaning on a defense that kept Calgary under control for most of the night.
Antione West Jr. continued his strong run with 14 points and four steals. Omer Mayer and Gicarri Harris each finished with 11, while C.J.
Cox added eight. Daniel Jacobsen chipped in eight points, six rebounds and four blocks, and Caden Pierce contributed six points and nine boards.
The early story was Purdue’s activity on defense, especially from its bigs. Raleigh Burgess made his first start of the trip and set the tone right away, blocking two shots in the opening five minutes while also holding up well on the perimeter. Jacobsen was just as disruptive, using his length to block four shots and bother others.
For a small sample, Purdue’s front line may have looked its best defensively on this Canada swing in this game.
Burgess had a tougher time at the other end. He went 2-of-7 from the floor and was denied at the rim several times. When he gets deep position, Purdue needs him to finish those chances.
Jacobsen, on the other hand, was efficient whenever he got the ball inside. The 7-foot-4 center has been decisive all trip, and when he catches it in good post position, he’s been tough to stop.
West’s pressure also made a real impact. He picked up four steals in the first four minutes, and Purdue’s ball pressure forced Calgary into a string of turnovers. That kind of on-ball defense has been one of the clear strengths for this group.
The area that still needs work is what happens away from the ball. Purdue was out of position too often, and Calgary found open looks because of it. Communication has to tighten up, especially with all the lineup changes and wholesale substitutions this early in the year.
That kind of unevenness showed up on the glass too. After Matt Painter said following Sunday’s win over Trinity Western that he wanted more fight and physicality on the boards, Purdue didn’t really answer in the first half. Calgary actually edged the Boilermakers 22-18 on the glass before halftime.
The response came after the break. Purdue got to the ball faster, especially on the offensive end, with Jack Benter, Burgess, Jacobsen and Pierce all more active on the boards in the second half.
By the end, the Boilermakers had won the rebounding battle 46-34. Still, the effort has to last for 40 minutes.
Purdue also had to find a different path offensively when the long ball stopped falling. After making 15 threes against the Vancouver Selects and 14 against Trinity Western, the Boilermakers cooled off badly from deep, finishing just 7-of-28 from three against Calgary.
Even with the cold shooting, Purdue did enough in other areas to put the game away. The Boilermakers grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, scored 34 points in the paint, got to the line 22 times and turned Calgary mistakes into 20 points off turnovers.
Ertel’s day was uneven, but his poise stood out. He had some frustrating moments and some rough turnovers on this trip, and Tuesday included another shaky shooting night. Even so, he stayed aggressive, kept taking open looks, and didn’t let the misses change his approach.
He also found ways to help beyond scoring. Ertel defended with energy, pushed the pace when it was there and attacked the glass hard. For a freshman point guard, that kind of steadiness matters.
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