No. 2 Purdue Basketball Pulls Away From Florida State, Remains Undefeated With 93-65 Win
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — When Florida State came within nine points of No. 2 Purdue basketball in the second half, the Mackey Arena crowd was at a hush. That was until senior forward Trevion Williams poked the ball away and dove onto the floor trying to regain possession.
The loose ball went in favor of the Boilermakers, and as Williams stood up to pump his fist, the fans erupted. Even when Florida State scratched and clawed to find a way back into the game, it was a constant effort that fueled Purdue to a dominant 93-65 victory Tuesday night at home.
“That stuff is contagious,” sophomore guard Brandon Newman said. “We have one or two guys doing that — we’re cheering them on, our energy is going, all five guys are going to do it. That kind of stuff is really good to see because it’s just motivating as a teammate.”
The Boilermakers led by as many as 18 points before the Seminoles cut the lead to single digits in the second half of play. Purdue sophomore guard Jaden Ivey propelled the team to a 48-32 halftime lead with 13 points while shooting 5 of 6 from the floor.
Ivey buried three 3-pointers in the first half and also added four rebounds and two assists. He finished the game with a team-high 18 points. Ivey was one of five players for the Boilermakers to finish in double figures.
Purdue shot 59.3% from the field and made 12 of 25 from the 3-point line. As Florida State collapsed on Williams and sophomore center Zach Edey in the post, it left open shots for several Boilermakers on the perimeter.
Senior guard Sasha Stefanovic made back-to-back 3-pointers with under nine minutes to play, giving Purdue its first 20-point lead to put the game out of reach. He finished the game with 3 of 7 from beyond the arc and recorded eight assists.
Newman and junior guard Isaiah Thompson each added a pair of 3-pointers for the Boilermakers.
“It just makes my job easy,” Purdue sophomore guard Ethan Morton said. “Once I see any of these guys make one, I’m going to go right back to them because they can get hot in a second.”
Florida State was led by redshirt-sophomore guard Caleb Mills, who scored a game-high 22 points. However, redshirt senior forward Malik Osborne was the only other player for the Seminoles to reach double figures.
Purdue remains undefeated after its first seven games of the season, just its seventh 7-0 start since 1940. The team will welcome Iowa to Mackey Arena on Friday for its first Big Ten Conference matchup of the season.
“For us, being able to get this win and just have confidence,” Painter said. “Being able to beat Villanova and North Carolina in tough games, being able to beat these guys. Now being able to play Iowa next, they’ve already proved they can beat a great team on the road.
“Building confidence, trying to get better each game. Trying to improve.”
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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.