WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter predicted it would come — the night when offense would stall and the Boilermakers would have to win with defense.

He didn't even have to wait a week for an example. For much of Friday's game against Georgia State, the No. 15 Boilermakers either struggled to hit open shots or were tangled up by the Panthers' matchup zone. Yet the grit Painter had previously wondered aloud about showed up down the stretch when both Vincent Edwards and Spike Albrecht crashed to the Mackey Arena floor while taking charges. When the Boilermakers defense locked in over the final 10 minutes, the offense followed.

No. 15 Purdue held Georgia State scoreless over the final eight minutes, rallying for a 64-56 victory behind a 20-0 game-ending run. "That was the turning point, because we were playing harder," said junior guard Dakota Mathias, who hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final seven minutes to reverse Purdue's night of frustration from behind the arc.  "In the first 30, 32 minutes, we weren't getting those calls. We weren't playing hard and putting ourselves in position to take those charges. We realized we had to pick it up right now. We were getting stops, and it led to good offense."

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The 13-point comeback with 8:13 to play made Friday's win the largest comeback in the final 10 minutes in program history. Caleb Swanigan posted 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Boilermakers, who trailed by 12 points with seven minutes remaining. He also assisted on Mathias' drought-breaking 3 and soon after on a basket by Isaac Haas, who scored seven of his 11 points during Purdue's game-winning avalanche. Yet it was defense — sparked by big efforts off the bench from Albrecht and Basil Smotherman — that allowed Purdue to avoid the upset. Both of those players were instrumental in helping hold Georgia State leading scorer Jeremy Hollowell, an Indiana transfer, to two points in the second half. The crescendo of the 20-0 run came when Albrecht stole the ball from Hollowell in the lane and found Smotherman for a run-out. He was fouled while throwing down a one-handed dunk, and made the free throw to cut the Georgia State lead to 56-52.

Swanigan's free throw with 3:08 left put Purdue on top by one. P.J. Thompson's 3-pointer with 41 seconds to play all but sealed the victory. "They feed into each other," Swanigan said when asked if the 20-0 run came from offensive or defensive improvement. "We were hitting shots, so they had to go against a set defense every time. Defensively we did a better job stopping the ball and making those guys shoot over us." Friday’s game counted as a stateside, cross-divisional portion of the Cancun Classic. Purdue will face Utah State and either Auburn or Texas Tech in Mexico next week in search of its second in-season tournament championship in as many years. The Boilermakers won the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip Off in Connecticut last season.

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For much of the night, it seemed the Boilermakers might be chased out of the country on the wrong end of an upset. Georgia State made eight of its first 11 shots in the second half, pushing a three-point halftime lead to a 51-39 advantage with 11:33 to play. The Panthers’ zone defense had Purdue out of sorts throughout the second half, leading to uncharacteristic turnovers from some of its most sure-handed players. Meanwhile, Georgia State also built advantages on the boards and on second-chance points despite Purdue’s frontcourt size advantage. "It’s a lack of sense of urgency — not chasing down long rebounds like you should, not being quick to the basketball," Painter said. "You can’t have experience and allow people making shots to deflate you. You have to have the same look on your face like you’re playing cards. "Guys are missing shots or have breakdowns and have that look on their face. It’s basketball — move on to the next play."

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Purdue seemed to get the break it needed midway through the second half when three Georgia State players — starters Willie Cayton and Isaiah Dennis and reserve forward Jordan Session — all fouled out within 90 seconds of each other. Before Mathias hit a 3 with 6:48 left, Purdue had made only 2 of 18 from long distance. He hit another with 1:56 left that provided a four-point cushion and provided breathing room for the Boilermakers and the 14,302 in attendance. "We were looking for that the whole game," Mathias said. "We didn't shoot very well from 3, but it took something like that to spark our energy a little bit." Purdue came out of Monday’s 79-76 loss to No. 3 Villanova, the defending national champion, eager to return to the court. Yet after making their first two shots, the Boilermakers endured a frigid first half. Post looks, when Purdue penetrated Georgia State’s matchup zone, limped off the rim. The open 3s the Panthers let Purdue have in exchange were rimming out. Additionally, while Purdue handled Georgia State’s pressure well, it gave possessions away with travels, three-second calls and other halfcourt infractions. The Boilermakers finished the first half with as many turnovers (eight) as field goals. "I felt like we were getting good looks, we were just missing shots — shots we make every day in practice," Albrecht said. "But they've got a lot of size and length and they're active and they get out and extend us." Shortly before the season, Painter questioned whether his team had the toughness necessary to beat good teams. He seemed to get both answers Friday night.

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"No one tries to miss shots, but when you do, you can’t hang your head," Painter said. "We've got too many people in that room really, really want to win, but want to win, but they also want to win a certain way. "On a given night you can't win the way you want to win. You've got to grind it. We got a couple of guys off the bench that helped us grind it."

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