No. 3 Purdue Basketball Cruises to 61-39 Road Win Over Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — Freshman point guard Braden Smith flirted with a triple-double by notching 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to lead No. 3 Purdue basketball to a 61-35 victory over Minnesota on Thursday night at Williams Arena.
With the win, the Boilermakers improved to 18-1 for the first time in program history and are 7-1 in Big Ten play to start the season.
Purdue’s offense came almost exclusively in the paint during the first half of play. The team scored 18 consecutive points at the rim before Smith buried a pull-up 3-pointer behind a high ball screen from junior center Zach Edey.
The shot sparked a 13-0 run that gave the Boilermakers a 22-point lead with less than a minute left before halftime, their largest of the opening period.
Minnesota had no answer for Edey underneath the basket as the 7-foot-4 big man notched a team-high 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting before halftime. He added three rebounds, two assists and two blocks in the first half while the Boilermakers started 15-of-29 from the field.
The Golden Gophers struggled to keep up on the scoring front, starting the game by making just 20.8 percent of their shot attempts and turning the ball over 10 times. Fifth-year senior guard Taurus Samuels was the most successful option for Minnesota in the first half. He scored six points on 2-of-3 shooting, including a 3-pointer.
The Boilermakers went into the locker room leading 31-12, with 28 points coming from inside the paint. Smith tallied nine points while leading the team with six rebounds and five assists before the second half.
The Golden Gophers were first on the board after the break as sophomore forward Dawson Garcia converted on a three-point play after a foul. However, Purdue punched back as sophomore forward Caleb Furst and freshman guard Fletcher Loyer combined to spark a 10-0 run.
Furst recorded just six points on the night but came down with a team-high nine rebounds. Loyer — the reigning Big Ten Co-Player and Freshman of the Week — had six points, four rebounds and three assists. He failed to see a 3-pointer hit the bottom of the net for just the second time this season.
After a dominant start, Edey attempted one shot after halftime and was held scoreless in the second period. But the Boilermakers found their rhythm away from the basket to end the game, shooting 6-of-10 from the 3-point line after making only one in the first half.
Edey finished with six rebounds, four blocks and two assists in 27 minutes on the floor to go along with his scoring total. Minnesota freshman forward Joshua Ola-Joseph was the team's only player in double figures, scoring 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
Purdue led by as many as 29 points in the contest and never trailed at any point. The team returns home at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 22, for a matchup against Maryland inside Mackey Arena.
Related Stories on Purdue basketball
- Purdue, Minnesota Live Blog: No. 3 Purdue basketball was on the road for a matchup with Minnesota on Thursday night at Williams Arena. Relive some of the action from our live blog. CLICK HERE
- Fletcher Loyer Named Big Ten Co-Player, Freshman of the Week: Purdue guard Fletcher Loyer scored a career-high 27 points and set a program freshman record with six 3-pointers in a 73-55 victory against Nebraska last Friday. CLICK HERE
- Zach Edey Delivers Game-Winner Against Michigan State: Purdue junior center Zach Edey scored a career-high 32 points on 13-of-26 shooting to lead the team in a 64-63 win over Michigan State on the road. 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.