Purdue 75, Nebraska 58: The Return of Sasha!
By: Dakota Isgrigg | February 21st | @dakota_isgrigg | @BoilerInTexas
There were moments of fantastic basketball and others of frustrating basketball. The game ebbed and flowed with this young Purdue team as they traveled to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Big Ten Basketball action!
The first half was kept closer than it should have been due to a tandem of sloppy play from Purdue and shot-making from Nebraska. There were moments in the first half where Purdue threatened to run away with the game but refused to take the reigns. This was not the type of game you want to let stay closer than needed.
After halftime, it was still relatively close as Nebraska continued to battle and actually took a 3-point lead with about 13 minutes remaining. From there it seemed like the Boilermakers finally decided to take control of the game and they were able to put Nebraska away.
Jaden Ivey has continued his emergence in the league by leading Purdue in scoring, tallying 15 points on the night with a mix of extreme athleticism and playmaking. He has absolutely put the Big Ten on notice that he is one to keep an eye on as we move towards the future. We have seen him grow up before our eyes beginning with the Ohio State game-winning shot. Since then, he has picked his game up and has begun to show why we were all so excited to see him in the black and old-gold.
This game also marked the return of Sasha Stefanovic, who had been in a bit of a slump since his return from COVID protocols. And boy did he reintroduce himself. At the 8-minute mark in the second half, Sasha made a wide-open three, assisted by Zach Edey, for his first made three in his last 10 attempts. It must have been a great relief to the Junior because on the next trip down the floor he canned another. Then, another few minutes of game time later he put in two more back-to-back triples to finally put the nail in the coffin of Nebraska. This is a great sign for Sasha, and the rest of the team, as the outside shooting threat he brings is invaluable to this team.
Brandon Newman was the only other Boilermaker to crack double-digits finishing with 10. He had an off-shooting night but made plays elsewhere getting out in transition and playing solid defense.
For the first game in quite a while, Trevion Williams really struggled in this one. He finished with just 9 points on 4-8 shooting. Nebraska really packed in their defense and focused on not letting Trevion get into a rhythm. We don’t see Tre struggle like this often, so be glad it came against a struggling Nebraska team!
Stats:
MVP: Jaden Ivey: 15 Pts / 6-12 FG (2-7 3PT) / 7 Reb / 3 Ast / 3 Stl/ 2 Blk
(HM): Sasha Stefanovic: 14 Pts / 4-8 3PT / 4 Reb / 1 Ast / 1 Stl
Brandon Newman: 10 Pts / 4-10 FG (2-8 3PT) / 7 Reb / 3 Ast / 1 Stl
Trevion Williams: 9 Pts / 4-8 FG / 3 Reb / 2 Blk
Aaron Wheeler: 7 Pts / 3-4 FG (1-2 3PT) / 6 Reb / 1 Stl
Team Stats:
FG (%): 30-64 (46.9%)
3PT (%): 10-32 (31.3%)
FT (%): 5-10 (50%)
Rebounding Marg: +11
Assists: 16
Steals: 8
Turnovers: 14
Up Next:
The next game out for Purdue will be on February 26th as Purdue travels to Penn State to take on the Nittany Lions in State College. Penn State played the Boilermakers fairly close earlier in the season in Mackey Arena so this will be no cakewalk. Penn State plays extremely hard and doesn’t seem to back down from any competition. Purdue will need a good game in the interior as the Penn State big men gave the Boilers some trouble in their first meeting. Hopefully, Purdue is able to hold onto some momentum and they’ll be able to walk out with another big true road win!
As always, Boiler Up, Hammer Down, Hail Purdue!
