Defense dooms Purdue basketball on senior day in loss to Wisconsin
· Yahoo Sports
WEST LAFAYETTE − Purdue basketball's senior day showed what the Boilermakers have proven throughout the season.
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Purdue has one of the nation's elite offenses and a defense that is flawed.
Wisconsin won a track meet at Mackey Arena, putting a dud on the end of the regular season for 14th-ranked Purdue after a 97-93 loss.
The Badgers shot 55.8% and made 18 3-pointers at a 52.9% clip to celebrate a victory at Mackey Arena for the second straight season, aided by John Blackwell's 25 points and 23 from Nick Boyd, who anchored four double-digit scorers.
That performance overshadowed Purdue going 11 of 25 from 3-point range and shooting better than 50% in a losing effort.
Purdue basketball turning point vs Wisconsin
The Boilermakers went on an 11-0 run with a stretch where they forced four turnovers and four straight missed shots. That spurt was not indicative of the rest of the half where Wisconsin more than offset a highly efficient Purdue offense by making 12 of 22 first half 3-pointers.
Fletcher Loyer sparked a second half comeback. In a span of 59 seconds, Loyer made a diving steal, scored six points and drew a charge. The charge call led to Braden Smith's short fadeaway jumper to give Purdue a 62-61 lead with 14:59 remaining, setting the stage for an old-fashioned Big Ten brawl to close the regular season.
The Badgers gained the upper edge on John Blackwell's bucket to put Wisconsin ahead 84-79. The Badgers were able to maintain that small cushion long enough to seal the game with late free throws.
How many assists did Braden Smith have vs Wisconsin?
Braden Smith had 9 assists against Wisconsin. Smith has 1,029 career assists and needs 47 to tie former Duke guard Bobby Hurley's NCAA career assists record of 1,076.
3 Purdue basketball stars vs. Wisconsin
Braden Smith: Smith scored 20 points in addition to his 9 assists. He also finished with 2 steals and 3 rebounds.
Fletcher Loyer: Loyer now has made more 3-pointers than anyone in Purdue basketball history after going 6-for-9 from beyond the arc. Loyer's 282 career 3-pointers moves him past Carsen Edwards for the Boilermaker record. Loyer finished with a team-high 23 points and also had 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 rebounds.
Oscar Cluff: The senior center had 3 blocks to go with 10 points and 8 rebounds.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue basketball loses to Wisconsin on senior day