Caleb Furst brings energy for Purdue basketball's win over Davidson
INDIANAPOLIS - Halftime came perhaps unsettling for Purdue Saturday night inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Boilermakers, who jumped ahead of Davidson 9-0 out of the gate, clung to a 28-27 lead after 20 minutes of play.
Caleb Furst had zero points and one rebound.
In that moment, the 6-foot-10 sophomore had to remind himself to play with joy and just enjoy the fact he gets to play for a major university that just so happens to be the top-ranked team in college basketball.
MORE:Top-ranked Purdue basketball survives challenge from Davidson
"Just go out there and have fun," Furst said. "We get to play the game we love and it doesn’t get much better than that."
Whether the former Indiana Mr. Basketball needed to remind himself to drum up some motivation or not, whatever inspiration he drew from the self reminder worked.
Furst came out more aggressive in the second half, attacking the basket, attacking rebounds and attacking loose balls.
Midway through the second half, he had a double-double.
"The biggest thing for them offensively to start the second half was the way Caleb Furst hit the glass. … " Davidson coach Matt McKillop said. "Former Mr. Basketball. He’s really, really good. You watch Zach Edey play and you forget that they have unbelievably talented players at every single position.
"The way he attacked the offensive glass is really what put us on our heels to start the second half. We did such a good job trying to contain Edey on the glass, but all the sudden we have to worry about a 6-foot-10 athlete running to the rim, too."
Furst scored 10 points in the first 4:20 of the second half, the last of those points coming on a dunk that put the Boilermakers ahead 39-31. That spurt ended up providing the difference in a 69-61 victory.
He'd finish with 12 points and 13 rebounds, one of three Purdue players with a double-double, joining Edey (29 points, 16 rebounds) and Braden Smith (10 points, 12 rebounds).
"We always try to emphasize the first five minutes of the second half and so I think we were able to kind of get out there and successfully get to a good start the half," Furst said.
The downside, if you can call it that, was Furst was playing so well that Purdue coach Matt Painter couldn't get Mason Gillis the minutes he'd hoped.
Gillis returned from a back injury after missing the last three games after starting the first seven.
"I thought Caleb’s energy in the second half really, really helped us," Painter said.
What Furst offered was something different, something that wasn't Edey, who'd drawn all the attention from Davidson's defense. And rightfully so, after making 8 of 10 field goals in the first half and putting up 17 points and 11 rebounds while the rest of the Boilers made just 3 of 22 shots.
"He is very different from me the way he rebounds," Edey said. "I go out and play with strength and try to jump up and get those contested balls. Caleb is very hard to box out. You try to step to him and he sprints around to the rim."
As the season progresses, different stars will have to emerge.
So far, they have.
On Saturday, it was Furst's night.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Caleb Furst brings energy for Purdue basketball's win over Davidson
