No. 4 UConn finished its exhibition schedule with a 76-53 win over Purdue on Tuesday. The Boilermakers made two of 25 three-point attempts. Their earlier exhibition report says they had made 30 of 73 across their first two exhibitions. That change makes UConn's perimeter defense worth examining, though the box score alone cannot tell us how many misses came from a contested shot.
Purdue went one for 14 from three before halftime and one for 11 after it, according to UConn's box score. It scored 20 first-half points and trailed by 15 at the break. This was not a single cold stretch followed by a shooting recovery. UConn kept the scoring pressure on through the second half.
What the stops gave UConn
The same box credits UConn with 17 fast-break points to Purdue's five and an 18-11 edge in points off turnovers. The Huskies had nine steals. Those numbers describe the return on some of their defensive possessions: UConn could score before Purdue's defense settled, even while making only six of its own 21 threes.
There is a limit to the clean-stop story. Purdue collected 13 offensive rebounds and scored 14 second-chance points. A poor shooting night can still create extra chances when the defense does not secure the miss. UConn's earlier exhibition preview focused on Nik Khamenia's shooting and the frontcourt matchup. Tuesday's result adds a separate question about whether the Huskies can finish their perimeter stops with a rebound.
UConn's official recap says its three exhibition opponents combined to shoot 14.1 percent from three. That is an excellent result. The percentage alone cannot identify a coverage or defender. Exhibition opponents can also shoot differently once games count.
The Huskies open against Gardner-Webb on November 2, then play Michigan on November 6, according to their schedule. Purdue gave them one persuasive defensive result against a Division I opponent. The next games can show whether the combination of perimeter misses, transition chances and completed rebounds travels into the regular season.
