On a night when Zach Edey continued doing Zach Edey things and showed his ability to knock down a three, the Purdue basketball team blew past Indiana, 79-59, Saturday at Mackey Arena.
The win improved Purdue to 22-2 overall, 11-2 Big Ten Conference and won its eighth straight game. Perhaps, most important, the Boilermakers have a two-and-a-half game cushion over Illinois in the Big Ten standings with seven regular season games left. Indiana, on the other hand, fell to 14-10, 6-7. The 59 points were the third lowest of the season. Purdue’s wins by 21 and 20 points against Indiana marks the first time since the 1933-34 season that Purdue beat Indiana in two consecutive games by 20 or more points.
After trading baskets early in the contest, Purdue basketball took over in the first half with a 15-1 run that put the Boilermakers ahead 35-19, turning Indiana over five times and holding them scoreless on eight straight shot attempts. While the Hoosiers were cold, Purdue was anything but, as Braden Smith, Myles Colvin and Mason Gillis all drilled three’s during the run.
Unlike the first meeting, there was no flurry of points from Indiana to open the second half, as Purdue settled in behind the arc and put the game away with a 10-0 run. Even Zach Edey got in on the three point shooting, nailing his first career three en route to 26 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal.
“It’s a great win for our seniors and more than anything, it gets us closer to being in a position to win a Big Ten championship,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said.
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson admitted things were tough for the Hoosiers, being on the road and playing the #2 ranked Boilermakers in a “hostile environment.”
“I thought we played well early. And from the 15, 10 minute mark going into the half, we just couldn’t score, we threw the ball away and that gave them the cushion going into halftime. Then we were so awful coming out the second half, couldn’t make shots and they capitalized on it,” Woodson said.
Purdue hits the court again Thursday when they take on Minnesota at 8:30 p.m.
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