Purdue rides another big game from Edey to defeat Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The unstoppable Zach Edey was again old reliable for Purdue basketball.
Edey’s third straight double-double — 30 points, 18 rebounds — lifted the second-ranked Boilermakers over Iowa, 84-70, Saturday afternoon at CarverHawkeye Arena.
It didn’t come easy.
After building a lead as large as 19 in the second half, Purdue had to hang on after a late Iowa charge after the Hawkeyes got within eight.
Purdue snagged control with Zach Edey on the bench midway through the first half as the Boilers went on a 12-2 run without their reigning National Player of the Year, part of a 19-2 run overall after trailing 18-14.
Iowa’s attempt to climb back in was halted after the Hawkeyes got within 38-31. Edey then scored Purdue’s next seven points and Fletcher Loyer closed out the half with a driving layup that gave the Boilermakers a 47-34 halftime cushion.
It was over when
Iowa’s late surge brought life out of the home crowd.
Then, Lance Jones took it away. Jones’ stepback 3 to beat the shot clock with 1:35 to go put Purdue (17-2, 6-2) ahead 81-70 and started to clear out some of the seats as some fans elected for an early exit.
Jones finished with 17 points.
Zach Edey watch
Edey’s 30 points marked the third straight game where he’s hit that bench mark.
For good measure, Purdue’s 7-foot-4 center had four blocks to go with his 30 points and 18 rebounds.
3 stars
Braden Smith, Purdue:
A second straight off shooting game and four turnovers didn’t have Smith standing out. But this offense doesn’t function the way it does without him. Smith finished with nine points on 4 of 12 shooting to go with nine assists and six rebounds.
Fletcher Loyer, Purdue: Loyer’s hot shooting in Big Ten play continued early. By halftime, the sophomore guard was 4 of 6 and scored 10 points. Loyer cooled in the second half, his only bucket a running floater into traffic, but his offense in the first half gave the Boilermakers the edge they needed.
Tony Perkins, Iowa: The Indianapolis native from Lawrence North High School was able to penetrate and get into the paint seemingly at will. His offense kept Iowa close enough to where it felt the Hawkeyes were never out of it.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.