#1 Purdue got upset on the road at Northwestern last night, dropping their first game of the year, 88-92.
despite a HUGE rebounding advantage, the Boilermakers’ loss can be described with one simple stat: turnovers. Purdue had 17; Northwestern had only 3.
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Saint Mary’s traveled up to snowy Boise State for a Whiteout. both teams started four overachieving gym rats, and each plays several more off the bench. unfortunately, one side had to lose, and last night it was the Gaels who came up short.
the Broncos play very physical defense, and it unsettled the Gaels to start the game. Saint Mary’s didn’t score a field goal for the first 7 minutes. to add to the misery, they had an unusual amount of turnovers in that span, digging themselves quite a hole.
for the Broncos, Degenhart (of Chitwood University fame) was unguardable. his strength in the post was dominating the Gaels’ guards, and he finished with an efficient 17 (on 5-9 shooting). additionally, his versatility on defense disrupted Saint Mary’s motion offense.
my biggest concern for the Gaels is their continued struggles offensively. they just aren’t sharing the ball like is typical for Randy Bennett teams. last night they finished with only 8 assists in the game (to 14 turnovers). as such, they’re taking a lot of tough, low percentage shots, and it’s reflected in their low efficiency scoring output.
