NC State men’s basketball took its first loss of the season in a Final Four rematch against No. 13 Purdue on Thanksgiving at the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego, falling 71-61.

After a competitive first half, the wheels began to fall off for the Pack (5-1) as its main source of scoring dwindled in the second half — points in the paint. In the first half, 20 of the Pack’s 32 points came inside. In the final 20 minutes, the Pack only recorded 10 points in the paint. NC State’s lack of scoring near the rim caused the offense to stall as the Pack also couldn’t get anything to drop from deep.

The matchup against Purdue (6-1) was the first big test of the season for NC State and issues that the Wolfpack overcame against weaker competition became real problems against the Boilermakers. 3-point shooting continued to be a weakness for the Pack as it shot just 24% from beyond the arc compared to Purdue’s 31%. Head coach Kevin Keatts said after the victory against Colgate on Nov. 18 that he was not concerned with the poor 3-point shooting.

“If we were taking 25 or 30 threes, I would be concerned,” Keatts said. “You only get concerned if you’re just jacking them and you don’t make them.”

But against Purdue, the Wolfpack went 4-for-17 from 3, costing it dearly. The Pack shot 2-12 from distance in the first half, searching for answers with difficult 3-point attempts against a tough Boilermaker defense. The Pack had better shot selection in the second half as it sank two of its five shots from deep, but its struggles in the paint created an uphill battle.

One strength that the Pack had relied on in the first five games was fast break points. Coming into the Turkey Day matchup, NC State led the country in fast break points with 28.4 per game. Against Purdue, the Wolfpack scored just eight points in transition as the Boilermakers were successful in dictating the pace of the game.

Senior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was a dominant force in the first half, keeping the Wolfpack in the game with 11 points and a team-high five rebounds. Huntley-Hatfield only put up two points in the second half while snagging three rebounds. His inability to get going along with Purdue’s lockdown defense allowed the Boilermakers to create a steady 10-point lead through the last 10 minutes.

Senior guard Jayden Taylor recorded a team-high 15 points and helped the Pack stay in the game with hustle plays and five rebounds. While the red-and-white struggled to manufacture offense in the second half, Taylor drove to the basket and got to the charity stripe, sinking five of his six free throws.

As the Rady Children’s Invitational continues, NC State will face the loser of the matchup between Ole Miss and BYU Friday at 3:30 p.m.