Purdue Hosts Valparaiso After Opening Loss to Gonzaga

Purdue will begin a five-game home stretch against in-state opponent Valparaiso, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. EST on November 6. The Boilermakers opened their season with a 78-72 defeat to No. 15 Gonzaga. Daniel Jacobsen scored 22 points for Purdue in that game.

Valparaiso comes to West Lafayette after beating Western Illinois 80-58. The Beacons return three of their five leading scorers from last season: JT Pettigrew, Rakim Chaney and Justus McNair. Pettigrew led Valparaiso with 18 points in its opener, while both he and McNair started.

Pettigrew averaged 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds last season and earned third-team All-Missouri Valley Conference recognition. McNair averaged 7.9 points and received conference honors for bench play and improvement. Coach Roger Powell Jr. brought in two transfers and a four-player recruiting class while retaining much of the previous roster.

The Beacons finished 18-15 last season, including 11-9 in conference play, and lost to Bradley in double overtime in the Missouri Valley tournament. They made 28 of 43 free throws against Western Illinois and committed nine turnovers, while forcing 16. Last season, Valparaiso averaged 22.3 free-throw attempts and just over 10 turnovers per game. Purdue was 30-9 overall last season and 12-5 at home; Valparaiso went 4-10 on the road.