After Return From Injury, Jaden Ivey Scores 15 Points for No. 6 Purdue in Victory Over Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Purdue basketball star Jaden Ivey, after missing the team’s matchup against Northwestern on Sunday at Mackey Arena due to injury, made his return to the court in a critical Big Ten matchup against Iowa on the Road.
The sophomore guard was nursing a hip flexor injury, but managed to put together 15 points in 21 minutes for the Boilermakers as the team earned an 83-73 victory against the Hawkeyes on Thursday at the Hawkeye-Carver Arena.
But the injury all but slowed Ivey down as Purdue improved to 17-3 overall and 6-3 in Big Ten play. Entering the matchup, Ivey averaged team-highs with 29.3 minutes and 16.7 points per game this season.
“I felt good,” Ivey said. “I didn’t tweak it at all, I felt good honestly. … I didn’t want to re-aggravate it, that’s all I was worried about.”
Ivey did not start the game, as Purdue coach Matt Painter decided to insert senior guard Eric Hunter Jr. to play alongside junior Isaiah Thompson and senior Sasha Stefanovic in the backcourt. But he entered the game for the first time with 15:20 remaining in the first half.
The sophomore made his first basket with less than 11 minutes to play in the first period and finished the half making three of his four shots from the field, including a step-back 3-pointer. However, Ivey struggled from the free-throw line, going just 2-7 for the game.
“I can’t even explain it, I don’t know what was going on today,” Ivey said. “I missed so many free throws. I feel like I was out of rhythm, first game back. Just know for sure I’m going to be back in the lab tomorrow shooting 100 free throws. I’m not worried about it, and I know next game I’m going to knock them down.”
Ivey scored seven points after halftime by sinking two more 3-pointers and making one from the foul line. He was 3-4 from beyond the arc and was one of four players for Purdue to finish the game in double figures, but he also added five rebounds and tied a team-high with four assists.
“Before shootaround and stuff, we were just locked in,” Ivey said. “I feel like we are the best 3-point shooting team. It’s all about focusing in on shooting and just taking the right shots.”
His 21 minutes on the floor were his lowest since a 79-59 blowout victory over Incarnate Word on Dec. 20 at Mackey Arena.
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
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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.