Offensive Efficiency Pushes No. 4 Purdue to 88-73 Victory Over Minnesota on the Road
MINNEAPOLIS — The No. 4-ranked Purdue basketball team earned an 88-73 victory over Minnesota on the road Wednesday night. It was the team’s first victory at Williams Arena since 2018.
Sophomore guard Jaden Ivey recorded a double-double, scoring a team-high 21 points and adding 10 rebounds as the Boilermakers never trailed.
Senior guard Eric Hunter Jr., who logged 30 minutes for Purdue as a starter, registered a career-high 20 points on 8-11 shooting. He was 4-6 from the 3-point line and added two assists and three rebounds without turning the ball over.
Minnesota was led by Payton Willis and Jamison Battle, who scored 24 and 21 points, respectively. But Purdue had four players score in double figures to improve to an overall record of 19-3, including 8-3 in the Big Ten. The team has won its last four games.
Both teams started the game hot on the offensive end of the court. Purdue opened by making its first eight shots from the floor, and sophomore Zach Edey registered 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half.
The 7-foot-4 center took advantage of his size to fight for positioning in the post, leading to a 5-8 mark from the field while making his first two free-throws of the night. He also posted two assists before the break and forced Minnesota into early foul trouble.
But after a cold streak from the Boilermakers, missing five straight shots, they found their first double-digit lead with less than nine minutes to play in the first half. Purdue led by as many as 18 points in the first period, and was ahead 51-36 at halftime.
The Boilermakers were 60% from the floor before retaking the court, including 6-11 from the 3-point line. Sophomore guard Jaden Ivey took 12 shots in the first half and made six with a pair of 3-pointers. He had 15 points when the two teams went to the locker room.
Hunter was 5-6 in the half and added 12 points of his own in 15 minutes on the floor. The team scored on 22 of its 33 first half possessions. But Minnesota answered in the second half, using a 10-1 run midway through the period to bring the game to within seven points.
The Golden Gophers made it difficult for the Boilermakers to get easy baskets in the paint after halftime. Edey, despite finishing the game with a double-double, only managed one basket in the second half. Senior Trevion Williams was held to just five points in 13 minutes of action.
Purdue scored 12 of its 24 shots from the 3-point line to hold onto its lead. Senior guard Sasha Stefanovic scored 15 points and was 3-6 from deep. He became the ninth player in program history to make 200 shots from the 3-point line in his career.
By the end of the game, the Boilermakers connected on 56% of their shots from the field and only turned the ball over nine times. They had a 39-23 rebounding advantage and scored 40 points in the paint.
Purdue is back in action Saturday against Michigan at Mackey Arena. The game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET.
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- PURDUE, MINNESOTA LIVE BLOG: No. 4-ranked Purdue took on Minnesota on the road Wednesday night at Williams Arena. The Boilermakers earned their fourth straight victory. 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.