IOWA CITY, Iowa – Zach Edey had 30 points and 18 rebounds to lead No. 2 Purdue past Iowa 84-70 on Saturday.
Lance Jones scored 17 points and Fletcher Loyer added 12 as the Boilermakers (17-2, 6-2 Big Ten) won their third consecutive game and 10th out of their last 11.
Recommended Videos
Edey, the reigning national player of the year, put constant pressure on Iowa’s smaller frontcourt while getting his 12th double-double of the season. He was 10 of 15 from the field and 10 of 15 on free throws. Edey helped the Boilermakers have a 50-24 rebounding edge.
Edey credited Purdue's balanced offense — the Boilermakers got 36 points inside, but also hit nine 3-pointers — with getting him opportunities.
“We have so many ways to get the ball inside this year,” Edey said. “It’s really helping me. They can take away two or three different actions, and I’ll get (the ball) on the fourth. We do really good things looking for the post, and then playing out of it. We have guys that just make plays.”
The Hawkeyes tried every way to defend Edey, with little success.
“It's just different with him,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “When he gets deep position, it's hard (to defend him).”
Added guard Tony Perkins: “Honestly, I thought we did the best we could. Sometimes we played excellent defense. But he's 285, 300 pounds. He’s hard to move. We were prepared, but that’s a big fella to keep out of the paint.”
Purdue had 19 offensive rebounds, forcing long extra possessions that wore down the Hawkeyes.
“It was just getting shots and trying to live on the glass,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “We have a great rebounding team, and tonight our ability to rebound the ball was probably the difference in the game. Nineteen offensive rebounds, that's pretty impressive."
Purdue trailed 18-14 with 12:32 left in the first half before going on a 19-2 run, with most of those points coming with Edey on the bench.
“They helped us extend the lead when I was on the bench,” Edey said of the players who were in the game during the run. “That was huge. They came in, did their job, played hard, they got on the glass and did the little things. I thought they played really well.”
Painter said Purdue would have preferred to have Edey on the court, but added: “I thought those guys were very active.”
Iowa later answered with seven consecutive points before the Boilermakers closed the half with a 9-3 run to lead 47-34 at halftime.
Purdue maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second half before Iowa got to within 78-70 with 4:22 left. The Hawkeyes (11-7, 3-4) had a chance to cut the lead further, but failed to score on three consecutive possessions. Jones then hit a 3-pointer with 1:35 left to end Iowa’s comeback hopes.
Perkins led Iowa with 24 points. Payton Sandfort had 16 points and Ben Krikke added 10.
BIG PICTURE
Purdue: It took a few minutes for the Boilermakers to settle in before their big first-half run gave them control. Edey was as dominant inside, as usual, and Purdue’s 3-point shooting left Iowa defenseless. It was a good road win to keep pace with Wisconsin at the top of the Big Ten standings. The Boilermakers have won nine of the last 11 against Iowa.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes came in having won three consecutive games and six of their last seven, but their inability to get rebounds proved costly, especially in the first half. Foul trouble against Krikke and freshman forward Owen Freeman in the first half didn’t help, either.
UP NEXT
Purdue: Hosts Michigan on Tuesday.
Iowa: Hosts Maryland on Wednesday.
—
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball