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Behind Isaac Haas, Team USA outlasts Canada

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Analysis ($): Takeaways | Wrap Video

CARMEL — When "winning time" came during Purdue's first outing as Team USA, it did just that.

In Friday night's pre-World University Games exhibition contest against Team Canada — the front-end of a double-header — the Boilermakers outlasted their opponents from the north 94-86, clamping down on defense when it mattered most after an otherwise-uneven showing at that end of the floor.

Purdue led by just two with 2:10 left after multiple double-digit leads had been wiped out by Canada's persistence, shooting and offensive rebounding.

But from the point on, Team USA held its visitor to just two field goals.

"That was probably our best stretch of defense, when it mattered," Coach Matt Painter said, "which I think is a good sign. … Our best defense was at the end."

But, also, it rode big man Isaac Haas, who totaled team-highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds on top of the constant issues he caused Canada at both ends of the floor.

Haas scored almost every time the opportunity presented itself. He missed just one of his nine field goal attempts. He drew a bunch of fouls. He blocked threes. Late in the game, his towering 7-foot-2, 300-pound body so overwhelmed a Canadian ball-handler that that player committed a key turnover that served as an important moment in Purdue's final stretch of game-winning defense.

For the majority of the game's first 35 minutes, it was a back-and-forth affair defined by Purdue pulling ahead, Canada making a run, Purdue pulling ahead, Canada making a run.

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In the first half, Purdue led by as many as 12, but some hot Canada shooting coupled with some cold Purdue shooting in the second quarter sent Team USA into the locker room at halftime trailing 43-42.

But in the third, back-to-back Haas buckets put Purdue up 10 again with 4:20 on the clock.

The lead fell to the slimmest of margins in the fourth, though, but this time, Canada could never overtake the U.S. on the scoreboard.

When the visitors got within that one point, Vincent Edwards swooped in to rebound Dakota Mathias' missed jumper, leading to a putback. Then Carsen Edwards pushed the ball in transition off a turnover and split a pair of foul shots, before Haas answered Canada's bucket off a steal with four straight points, setting Purdue up to salt the game away at the free throw line. It did, making 9-of-10 in the final minute-plus.

Purdue won with defense at the end, overcoming sub-44-percent shooting overall and a 6-of-21 clip from three-point range.

"We're getting a little rust off," Dakota Mathias said. "A lot of guys didn't shoot well, including myself. That's going to happen. But I liked our effort in the second half."

On the list of likely emphases for Purdue before leaving for Taipei: Defensive rebounding.

Seventeen offensive rebounds buoyed Canada and largely offset Purdue's own 17 second chances. Purdue also committed 17 turnovers.

"The whole game was kind of sloppy," Haas said. "There's a lot of things we need to tighten up on defense, and on offense, too. We weren't being strong with the ball, ripping through and making tight, solid plays. That led to a lot of turnovers."

In addition to Haas' 20, Carsen Edwards scored 14, Vincent Edwards 13 and Mathias and P.J. Thompson 10 apiece.

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