Source: Michael Hickey / Getty
[West Lafayette, IN]- Second ranked Purdue added another Big Ten title to their record Saturday night.
In a Marquee showing, the Boilermakers downed the Spartans 80-74.
Things did not start off strong for Purdue, who trailed 7-2 through three minutes of play. Michigan State would continue their lead through nearly the entire first half, before Zach Edey tied the game at 28-28 with his first free throw and gave Purdue their first lead since the game started at 29-28 with his second. Edey would hit two more free throws in the back end of the first half, extending the Boilermakers’ lead to three at 31-28. The Spartans clawed back to a one point game after a pair of Malik Hall free throws. Edey made sure that was as close as Michigan State would come, hitting his next two shots. Braden Smith added a three in the final minute of the first half, putting Purdue up 38-30. Spartan’s Tyson Walker would score five before the half time break, with Purdue leading 38-35.
Purdue started the second half in similar fashion as they had before, by going on a scoring run. Purdue started the first thirty seconds with a 5-0 run, but Malik Hall would put the brakes on Purdue before any more damage could be done. Fletcher Loyer would answer Hall’s jumper with one of his own, extending the Boilermakers’ lead to eight. After a minute of back-and-forth misses, fouls, and rebounds, Edey would end the scoring drought. Purdue would get their largest lead of the game with just over fourteen minutes left in the game, 54-39. The Boilermakers’ buckled down on defense the remainder of the second half, not allowing the Spartans to come within less than three. After a made shot by Michigan State’s Carson Cooper, Purdue called timeout and wasted the last ten seconds for the win.
Individually, Edey led the Boilermakers in scoring and rebounds. He notched another double-double on the year with thirty-two points and eleven rebounds. Braden Smith followed with a near double-double, twenty-three points and nine rebounds. Smith would go a perfect four for four from the three points line. Loyer would be the only other Purdue player to end in double digit scoring figures, with fifteen. Lance Jones only had one point on the night, while the other starter Trey Kaufman-Renn had two. Purdue’s bench accounted for just seven points, all of which belonged to Mason Gillis.
As a team Purdue went 51% from the field, 50% from the three, and 66.7% from the free throw line. They outrebounded Michigan State 36-33, had four more assists, but lost the turnover battle 9-7.
With the win, Purdue brings home the BIG Ten title in back-to-back years. This also brings the Boilermakers regular season conference titles to twenty-six, the most in BIG Ten and NCAA history. The Boilermakers last repeated as conference champions in the 90s, when they went on to 3-peat from 1994 to 1996.
There are just two games remaining in the regular season for Purdue. Their next one comes at #13 Illinois on Tuesday Night at 7:00.
