In a season that has slowly gotten worse for Rutgers Basketball amid the most hyped team in recent memory, the Scarlet Knights (8-8, 1-4) had one of their ugliest stretches of the season to start the game.
Seven turnovers in the opening seven minutes.
It was indicative of Rutgers's offensive output as it lost in Big Ten action for the third straight game, falling 68-50 at Jersey Mike's Arena. Despite a solid shooting night from the three-point line, they continued to struggle to get easy looks at the rim.
What was more concerning, however, was the continued defensive lapses that helped the Boilermakers run away with the game with a lights-out offensive attack inside the arc. Scarlet Knights head coach Steve Pikiell made a lineup change before the game, inserting Lathan Sommerville at center over Emmanuel Ogbole, but the same problems remained on both ends of the floor.
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The Boilermakers diced the Scarlet Knights' defense, shooting a blistering 24-for-32 from inside the three-point line, as well as 8-for-10 on layups with five dunks, seemingly all wide open. They ended the game with 38 points in the paint.
Their trio of Trey Kaufman-Renn, Braden Smith, and Fletcher Loyer all scored in double-figures with 16, 16, and 13 points respectively. Smith also finished with 14 assists, leading the Boilermakers in the pick-and-roll and setting up teammates all game long.
Ace Bailey had a slight bounce-back game after struggling in Monday's loss to Wisconsin, scoring a team-high 17 points on 5-for-15 shooting from the floor with seven rebounds. Him and Tyson Acuff finished as the only Scarlet Knights in double-figures.
Dylan Harper, still recovering from illness, looked closer to himself but not near 100%. He scored 6 points on just 2-for-9 shooting, lacking the elite first step that had enabled him to take over the college basketball world to start the season. He played 28 minutes, sitting out the final six minutes of the game with the Boilermakers in control.
Purdue took advantage of Rutgers' flat start to the game, ending the first half up 33-24 with eight more shot attempts from the floor. The Scarlet Knights were lucky to be down only single-digits, due to the Boilermakers struggling with a 2-for-13 mark from the three-point line. Coming into the game they led the Big Ten in three-point percentage (39.6%).
The Scarlet Knights managed to hang around in the second half thanks to more strong three-point shooting, at one point cutting the Boilermakers' lead to five before they responded with an immediate 9-0 run after a timeout.
Despite the outbreak from the perimeter, the Scarlet Knights struggled inside the arc, playing basically an inverse offensive game to the Boilermakers. They shot 7-for-17 on layups, and 10-for-29 overall from inside the three-point line.
Rutgers' season is in full-blown panic mode with this latest loss, as they have been unable to overcome the porous defense - particularly at the rim - in the last three games.
UP NEXT?
Rutgers will be back in action for the third and final game of a three-game homestand on Monday night, when the Scarlet Knights host No. 22 UCLA.
The game will tip off at 6:30pm EST and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
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