Purdue’s Edey takes over
Big Ten player of the year dominates against Ohio State in semifinal win
Zach Edey knew what he needed to do just just about every time he touched the ball. After all, he had just one man trying to defend him in the paint. He took over and led the Boilermakers to the Big Ten tournament championship game.
Edey, the Big Ten player of the year, had 32 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 5 Purdue beat Ohio State, 80-66, in a conference semifinal on Saturday in Chicago.
“There’s kind of like a point halfway through the first half when one of our coaches, P.J. (Thompson), kind of came up to me, this is just one of those days you’ve got to get 30,” he said. “So I just kind of stuck with it. I executed the game plan. I just tried my best to score the ball every time I touched it.”
The top-seeded Boilermakers (28-5) started to take control late in the first half and cruised into the conference final for the second consecutive year. They will meet Penn State 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
Purdue is seeking its second tournament title to go with the one it captured in 2009. It will try to become the first No. 1 seed to win since 2019.
Edey, the Big Ten Player of the Year, dominated down low with the Buckeyes mostly guarding him one on one.
“They do a great job getting him the ball,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said of Edey, “but also he just plants in the paint and you can’t move him.”
Other men’s tournaments
ACC: No. 21 Duke finished its run through the conference tournament with a 59-49 victory against No. 13 Virginia. The Blue Devils (26-8) were led by Jeremy Roach’s 21 points and freshman Kyle Filipowski’s 10 rebounds. The Cavaliers (25-7), who never led, were led by Reece Beekman’s 13 points.
Atlantic 10: VCU (26-7) held off a late rally by Saint Louis (21-12) to earn a spot in Sunday’s championship game with a 90-78 victory at Brooklyn, N.Y. ... Dayton (22-11) outscored Fordham (25-9) by nine points in the final 6:18 to secure its spot in the final.
Big 12: No. 7 Texas (26-8) walloped No. 3 Kansas, 76
-56, to win the conference title at Kansas City, Mo. Dylan Disu overcame early foul trouble to score 18 points and was named tournament MVP as the Jayhawks (27-7) came up short in trying to repeat as champions.
Big East: Tyler Kolek and No. 6 Marquette raced out to a hefty lead and never trailed in beating No. 15 Xavier, 6551, for its first Big East championship. Kolek, the Big East player of the year, had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Golden Eagles (28-6). Adam Kunkel scored 13 to lead the Musketeers (25-9).
Southeastern: Fourthranked Alabama (28-5) halted Missouri (24-9) with a 72-61 semifinal victory behind Brandon MIller’s 20 points and 11 rebounds at Nashville, Tenn. ... No. 18 Texas A&M (24-8) never trailed in an 87-75 victory that ended an impressive run through the tournament for Vanderbilt (20-13).
American: Top-ranked Houston (31-2) had little trouble with Cincinnati (21-12) in the conference final at Fort Worth, Texas. The bad news for the Cougars was that AAC player of the year Marcus Sasser left the game in the first half with an apparent groin injury. J’wan Harris and Jamal Shead picked up the scoring slack with 16 points apiece. ... Memphis (25-8) earned its spot in Sunday’s final with a 94-54 blowout of Tulane.
Conference USA: Florida Atlantic (31-3) had no trouble defeating UAB (25-8) to win the conference title. Alijah Martin scored 28 points and added 10 rebounds for the Owls
Ivy League: John Poulakidas’ 25 points lifted Yale (22-7) into Sunday’s championship game with an 80-60 win against Cornell (17-11) at Princeton, N.J. ... Princeton (20-8) scored the game’s final six points to eliminate Penn, 77-70, and advance to Sunday’s championship game.
Women’s tournaments
Big 12: Fifteenth-ranked Texas (25-8) got 17 points from Shaylee Gonzalez to beat Oklahoma State (21-11) in a semifinal at Kansas City, Mo.
Colonial: Kylie Kornegay-Lucas scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Towson (21-10) to a 76-59 victory against William & Mary (18-13) in their semifinal at Towson, Md.
MAAC: Iona’s Juana Camilion scored 24 points to lift the Gaels (26-6) to a 73-60 victory against Manhattan (16-17) in their semifinal at Atlantic City, N.J.
Mid-American: Quinesha Lockett scored 17 points to lead Toledo (28-4) to a 73-58 victory against Bowling Green (27-6) in the Mid-American final at Cleveland.