UConn humbles Purdue basketball in final exhibition tune up

The exhibition slate of games concluded with a harsh and humbling regular season tune-up for Purdue basketball .

The No. 24 Boilermakers suffered early shooting and turnover woes and found themselves chasing from a double digit deficit quickly against one of the nation's top programs.

Fifth-ranked UConn coasted past Purdue 76-53 at PeoplesBank Arena.

It's the fourth straight season the Boilers lost a road exhibition game against a power conference program, including Arkansas in 2023, Creighton in 2024 and Kentucky last season.

Purdue now turns its attention to its regular season opener against Gonzaga in Las Vegas on Nov. 2.

Photos from last Tuesday's Purdue basketball open practice.

Purdue basketball turning point vs UConn

The Boilermakers made just 5-of-21 shots to open the game and it wasn't until Raleigh Burgess rebounded his own miss and kicked to Jack Benter for an open 3 with 2:25 to go in the first half that Purdue made a shot from beyond the arc.

The Boilermakers, who trailed 17-7 midway through the first half, finished the opening 20 minutes just 1-of-14 from 3. The Boilers finished 2-of-25 from deep.

By halftime, UConn led 35-20 and held Purdue to 26.7% shooting. The Boilermakers couldn't recover from the early hole. Purdue had a chance to cut the lead to seven early in the second half but Omer Mayer's open corner 3 caromed off the rim, leading to a conventional three-point play for UConn's Silas Demary Jr.

Jayden Ross set the tone early for the Huskies. He was 4-for-4, including 3-for-3 with 11 points in the opening half. Ross finished with 13 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 18 minutes.

3 standouts for Purdue basketball vs. UConn

CJ Cox: Cox accounted for half of Purdue's first half offense, scoring 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting. The rest of the team in that stretch was 4-for-21. Cox finished with a game high 18 points on 50% shooting and also had 6 rebounds.

Caden Pierce: For the Boilermakers to have success this season, they'll need solid rebounding from the former Ivy League Player of the Year. Purdue was outmatched Tuesday on the glass but held its own. Pierce supplying 7 boards (4 offensive) helped in that regard.

Daniel Jacobsen: The 7-foot-4 center is not a finished product but he's definitely showing his game changer ability with his length. Jacobsen blocked four shots and totaled 10 in three exhibition games. When he gets to his spot in the post, he's hard to stop. Jacobsen finished with 7 points, 4 rebounds and an assist.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.