Matt Painter took the podium Thursday to discuss Purdue’s preparation for Friday’s matchup with Valparaiso following an opening-night loss to Gonzaga.

The Boilermakers came up short in what Painter described as a “winnable game,” but the head coach also highlighted several areas where his team can improve moving forward.

Here are the key quotes from Painter’s press conference.

Purdue passing up good looks

Purdue fell 78-72 on opening night to No. 15 Gonzaga, but the Boilermakers were competitive throughout. After shooting 47% from the field but just 24% from three, Painter said he wants his team to stop passing up good looks in search of great ones.

“I'll take good every day of the week. Because when you play elite teams, if you want to pass up on a good shot, it can go the other direction. You passed up on a good shot, and now you got an average shot,” he said.

Painter said one of the biggest things that stood out was Purdue's shot selection early in the shot clock.

"If you're taking a tough one and you're at five or six on the shot clock, you live with that. But the ones that are at 14 to 20 seconds, you've got to take a step back and look at yourself and say, 'Is that the best shot for us?”

Twenty-one of Purdue's 55 field-goal attempts came from beyond the arc against Gonzaga. Finding a better balance in shot selection during an upcoming stretch of games could help the Boilermakers establish a rhythm before facing a tougher slate in December.

Daniel Jacobsen’s growth

Perhaps the biggest positive to come out of Monday night's loss was the performance of Daniel Jacobsen. The third-year center scored 22 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to keep the Boilermakers competitive in the paint.

Painter said Jacobsen is beginning to come into his own, but emphasized that the development has been happening behind the scenes for some time.

“People don't understand development. People don't understand about adjusting when you're 7-foot-4, when someone puts a rod in your leg. The guy went back and played USA Basketball after seven months previously with a rod in his leg. Things take time,” he said.

Although it was just one game, Jacobsen appeared more comfortable in the post, with improved footwork and confidence around the basket. Painter believes there is still plenty of room for him to grow.

"He's a damn good player, is a damn good college player, going to be a good pro. His development's never stopped. You just don't see some of it."

If Jacobsen can build on Monday's performance, Purdue could have another major weapon to lean on as the season progresses.

A learning opportunity defensively

Despite taking Gonzaga down to the wire, Painter wanted to see a better defensive effort from his team. The Zags shot 38% from three-point range and attempted 34 free throws. Painter specifically challenged some of Purdue's most experienced players to step up.

"We had a lot of experienced guys not show experience. It's what you need. You get anointed with, 'Hey, you're an experienced player,' so then you get what's going on. Well, if you get what's going on, then you should do what you're supposed to do."

Painter acknowledged that the loss could serve as a valuable learning opportunity, but that didn't make it any easier to accept.

"It was a very winnable game for us, so that's a hard pill to swallow. But if that game can help us be better going forward, then so be it."

Purdue is still a team with room to grow, and Friday's matchup with Valparaiso provides an opportunity to start addressing some of the issues that surfaced against Gonzaga. With five consecutive mid-major opponents on the schedule, the Boilermakers have a chance to build momentum and work through some early-season growing pains before the competition gets tougher.