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No. 15 Purdue needs 20-0 closing run to hold off Georgia State

Villanova v Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - NOVEMBER 14: Caleb Swanigan #50 of the Purdue Boilermakers celebrates during the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Mackey Arena on November 14, 2016 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

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Georgia State had No. 15 Purdue dead in the water, down by 13 with seven minutes left in the game. The Boilermakers were 2-for-18 from three with 14 turnovers and looked totally and completely lost on the offensive end of the floor.

And then Purdue’s size took over.

Just like it did against No. 3 Villanova down the stretch on Monday night.

Purdue scored the final 20 points to knock off the Panthers, 64-56, as four different GSU players fouled out and a fifth had four fouls.

Don’t be surprised if this becomes a trend for the Boilermakers this season. They struggle on the offensive end of the floor when teams are able to pack in their defense because their shooters are not really all that good at shooting from the perimeter. That’s why the Panthers were able to get away with playing defense that looked like this:

But there has been a rule change this season that is an attempt to legislate physical post play out of the game, and the result is that Purdue’s opponents, particularly their front court, pick up fouls at a crazy rate. As those bigs start to foul out, the massive front line of Isaac Haas and Caleb Swanigan can start to assert their dominance. It happened against Villanova, who barely hung on after blowing a double-digit lead, and it happened against Georgia State.

It’s not a great way to try and win basketball games, but as Matt Painter tries to find a way to fix his perimeter’s issues, it’s good to know that it is at least a way to storm back.