Purdue 77, Arkansas 81- Exhibition Classic? Overtime Upset.

Purdue said they wanted to come into Arkansas and win, but that’s what a team is supposed to say. Despite the two teams being ranked in the top-15, and this being a road game for Purdue, it was an exhibition that wouldn’t matter for either team’s record. It was a game for charity, to raise money for the United Way.

They didn’t really care all that much about winning, right?

If any illusion existed about how serious Purdue was taking this season and this game, the sight of 7’4″ Zach Edey diving for a loose ball and colliding with Arkansas’ Davonte Davis and the game tied at 65 proved that Edey and the Boilers weren’t willing to accept a loss, even in the pre-season.

Edey’s hustle would save Purdue the ball, and after Davis was helped off the floor by trainers, would give Purdue the lead 67-65 on a basket inside and just two minutes left in the game.

But Arkansas wanted to win, too, and after Smith pushed Purdue’s lead to 69-66 with under a minute left, Tramon Mark hit a three for Eric Musselman’s Razordbacks.

Both teams wanted to win so much that 40 minutes of action wasn’t enough. A Purdue turnover on a chance to have the last possession turned into a missed El Ellis lay up at the other end and the teams would head into a 5:00 overtime tied at 69-69.

Then again, both teams hadn’t played a regular season game yet, and the start of overtime looked like two teams not at their peak. But the game didn’t lack in intensity, with Edey’s two free throws being matched by Ellis’s lay up and a foul that gave Arkansas a 72-71 edge.

Another floater for Ellis would give Arkansas the three point lead.

Tramon Mark would extend the lead to five with a mid-range jumper over Ethan Morton, but Braden Smith would find Lance Jones on a kick-out for three that cut the Arkansas lead to 76-74 with just over 40 seconds to play. One of two free throws would get Purdue the ball back and a timeout would set Purdue up for another chance to tie it with 22.5 seconds on the clock, Arkansas up 77-74.

Lance Jones…

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Author : Boiler Upload

Publish date : 2023-10-28 22:31:11

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