Purdue Forward Mason Gillis Making Winning Plays, Breaks Away From Shooting Drought
EVANSTON, Ill. — Low volume, high efficiency. Mason Gillis has done everything in his power to help the No. 5-ranked Purdue basketball team win games throughout the 2021-22 season.
Whether it's crashing the boards, feeding the ball to his teammates or spotting up for a shot from the 3-point line, the sophomore forward does his job and does it well.
But when a near-50% shooter from deep starts to find himself in a drought, is it time to worry? Not for Gillis. After going 0-7 from beyond the arc in two games leading up to a road matchup with Northwestern, he nailed three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in a 70-64 victory Wednesday night.
"You don't want to say it, but it's somewhat bound to happen," Gillis said before the game. "Not everybody can shoot at a super high level all the time. So that's why you have to keep working on your craft, getting better every day and realizing that."
When the Boilermakers tipped off against the Wildcats at the Welsh-Ryan Arena, it marked 23 straight days without a day off. Without the time to reset yourself, physical and mental fatigue begins to set in.
Gillis — alongside his teammates — balanced classes, extra work during practice, traveling and the rugged schedule that pitted Purdue in eight contests over the span of 18 days.
He went back to the basics against Northwestern and found his shot falling once again. Gillis made his first three 3-pointers in the game, including two in the second half that gave his team a double-digit lead.
He finished the game shooting 3-5 from the field, securing his sixth game of the season scoring in double figures, while notching seven rebounds and a steal. In 29 minutes on the floor, Gillis only turned the ball over one time.
"When you have a good attitude and you play hard, even though you might struggle in some games, you're going to find your way," Purdue coach Matt Painter said of Gillis. "He's a competitive guy, he wants to win, he sacrifices for our team. So you build up that good will.
"When you have to play a role and you don't shoot much, you've gotten over yourself. He's just going to take what the defense gives him. He knows he's going to play off some of our other guys. He was great. You show up to work and you know that he's going to come to practice or he's going to show up in the game and he's going to play hard."
And he's done just that all season. Even if he can't put a timely 3-pointer through the rim, Gillis is going to hustle and grind every minute he's on the court. He'll fight for rebounds in a crowd and get the ball to the hands of an open teammate.
Whatever it takes to win.
"I'm just trying to do my best right now to make sure that if my shot isn't going in, I'm still contributing to the team in a positive way and helping win games," Gillis said. "Whether that's assisting, getting the ball where it needs to go, just being solid on defense and making winning plays."
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
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- PURDUE DOWN NORTHWESTERN FOR BIG TEN LEAD: Purdue basketball took the top spot in the Big Ten standings following a win over Northwestern on Wednesday. The Boilermakers held the Wildcats to 35% shooting from the floor and had three players score in double figures. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.