No. 5 Purdue Opens Big Ten Play With 89-70 Win Over Minnesota
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue junior center Zach Edey set career highs with 31 points and 22 rebounds to lead the No. 5-ranked Boilermakers in an 89-70 win over Minnesota on Sunday at Mackey Arena to open Big Ten play.
“I don’t think there’s a team in the country that has an answer for him,” Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson said of Edey. “The problem is he just puts so much foul pressure on you. You can survive it, and we didn’t get off to a pretty good start, but they just do such a good job getting him the ball that it’s just a matter of time.”
The team was without junior forward Mason Gillis due to a back injury, but Purdue still dominated the glass with a 41-21 rebounding advantage, including 12 offensive boards, while scoring 44 points in the paint. Junior forward Jamison Battle led the Golden Gophers with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including five 3-pointers.
Freshman guard Fletcher Loyer added a career-high 20 points and led the team with eight assists without turning the ball over for the Boilermakers, who finished with five players in double figures.
“This is what he’s done since he’s gotten here,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said of Loyer. “Him and Braden [Smith] are both very confident. Most guys that come in, that’s where it’s hard for them to adjust to major college basketball, just because there are going to be times where you’re not sure of yourself.
“Fletcher is very sure of himself, and as long as he stays within himself. Tonight, I don’t think there was one play where he got away from himself.”
Edey and the Purdue offense were subject to a slow start in the first half as the star big man opened the matchup just 1-of-7 from the field. But Minnesota only led by as many as two points because of poor shooting of its own. The Golden Gophers were 2-of-15 from the 3-point line before the break.
“I feel like my first few shots, they were pretty good misses,” Edey said. “They were my shots that I usually take, they just didn’t go in. A few of them rattled in and out, so I just kind of stuck with it. Trusted my game, trusted my skill.”
The Boilermakers were able to take control of the matchup with an early 12-2 run, giving them a 17-9 lead with 11:57 left to play before halftime. They mounted an advantage by drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line, reaching the bonus with 9:08 in the opening period while making eight of their 10 attempts from the foul line.
As play went on, Edey began to settle offensively and led all scorers with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting as Purdue went into the locker room with a 42-27 lead. He recorded a double-double in the first half alone by also coming down with a team-high 12 rebounds before the start of the second half. Loyer and redshirt freshman forward Trey Kaufman-Renn each added eight points to open the game.
“I think he’s obviously one of the best I’ve seen at getting your bigs in foul trouble, and that’s just hard to overcome,” Johnson said of Edey. “We tried to throw different guys at him, but the problem is he’s so tall. You want to go and double, but we’ve seen that movie before where all of a sudden he just picks you apart with the pass, and they shoot it so well.”
The Boilermakers led by as many as 22 points and made four of their nine shots from the 3-point line before the Golden Gophers ended the first half with a 7-0 run. Freshman forward Joshua Ola-Joseph was effective for Minnesota, scoring six points on 3-of-4 shooting in the opening period, but he was limited by a trio of fouls.
Edey continued to dominate for Purdue in the second half, scoring 15 points in 14 minutes on the floor. He also finished the game with 11 drawn fouls. Minnesota had no answer for his performance, but it didn’t let the game spiral into chaos by shooting 53.1% from the field after halftime and knocking down seven 3-pointers.
Loyer scored 12 points in the second half on 5-of-6 shooting. He was efficient around the basket and took advantage of Minnesota’s aggressive closeouts on the perimeter. Junior guard Brandon Newman finished the game with 13 points, while Kaufman-Renn and sophomore forward Caleb Furst each registered 10 apiece.
“I thought tonight was a great example of that with Mason out, who’s such a great player, a hard player for us and is such a great leader,” Loyer said. “We needed guys to step up and Trey and Caleb did a great job of that. Brian [Waddell] came in too and did a good job.
“Really, just guys stepping up and doing their job to help the team win, that’s what this team’s all about.”
Purdue will be back at home for a matchup against Hofstra on Wednesday, Dec. 7. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and it will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
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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.