For a very brief moment it looked like Purdue basketball may have their hands full against Utah State.
The Aggies watched guard Ian Martinez open up hot, making four of his first five shots, scoring 11 points to lead Utah State to a quick 20-17 advantage.
That’s when Purdue big man Zach Edey woke up and it was all over from that point on, as Purdue basketball earned a 106-67 win, punching its ticket to Detroit and a Sweet Sixteen matchup against Gonzaga Friday. The win was the 31st of the season, setting a program record for wins in a season as head coach Matt Painter watched four Boilermakers hit double figures.
But, it was Edey that paved the way for Purdue basketball. The Canadian senior went off for 17 points in just over 10 minutes, sparking a 24-9 run. The lead would swell to 49-33 at the half following a three pointer from Lance Jones at the buzzer.
Painter said the difference during the run was Purdue basketball’s ability to get stops.
“Just being able to make it difficult. They did a couple things we hadn’t seen, couple big on big ball screens that bothered us. Martinez played really well to start the game. We just started to establish Zach in the post and were able to get stops and push the basketball. If you can establish Zach, rebound the basketball and get in transition, it will be a pretty good recipe for success,” Painter said.
Whatever Painter told the Boilermakers at the half stuck with his team in the very early moments of the second half. Purdue opened the second half scoring seven points in just over a minute to put the game completely out of reach.
“The first five minutes is always important. We are up 16 and I said it will be a shame if you go to that first media timeout and it’s around 10. We got it to the 20’s real quick, and kudos to our guys,” Painter said.
Edey finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals while sitting the majority of the second half. Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal while shooting 8 of 13 from the floor. Fletcher Loyer added 15 points and six assists for Purdue basketball, who shot 55.9 percent from the field.
“Good team effort. Across the board, pleased with our guys,” Painter said.
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