Edey ‘has his way,’ drops 33 in rout of Hoosiers
Jan 16, 2024, 11:20 PM ET BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– Purdue center Zach Edey arrived at Indiana figured out to leave a lasting effect Tuesday night.Then he revealed everyone why he is the ruling national player of the year.The 7-foot-4 senior drew fouls, made shots and even chased after loose balls, ending up with 33 points and 14 rebounds while leading the second-ranked Boilermakers to an 87-66 rout over the rival Hoosiers.The 21-point win is Purdue’s largest at Indiana because January 1934, when the Boilermakers won by 34. Editor’s Picks 1 Associated”This was my last opportunity to get a win here,” Edey said before handing Indiana its worst loss at Assembly Hall in this series.Edey did it all, nearly solitarily getting Indiana’s big men into early nasty trouble. He was 11-of-23 from the field and 11-for-12 at the complimentary throw line. He dove for a loose ball, and his shot-blocking existence had the Hoosiers out of sync. It was his second straight 30-point double-double given that Purdue’s loss recently at Nebraska. According to ESPN Statistics & Information, Edey is just the second Huge Ten player in the past 25 years to have consecutive 30-10 games two times in his career, joining previous Ohio State star Evan Turner.Thanks mainly to Edey, the Boilermakers(16-2, 5-2 Huge 10 )got their first win at Assembly Hall in 3 seasons and erased, for a moment, the bitterness of getting swept by Indiana last season. Fletcher Loyer scored 19 points and Lance Jones added 17 for Purdue, but Edey was the driver.” He causes a lot of attention, and you see when he goes 1-on-1, he’s going to draw some fouls,”Purdue coach Matt Painter stated after protecting his 214th profession conference win to tie previous Illinois coach
Lou Henson for No. 5 in Big Ten history. “It’s hard to see someone at 7-4, 300 pounds that plays tough every single point. It just sort of programs you who he is.”The Hoosiers(12-6, 4-3 )didn’t like what they saw. Trey Galloway scored 17 points and Mackenzie Mgbako had 15, however Indiana routed for the final 37 minutes– most of that time by double digits after falling into an early 25-13 hole and a 51-29 deficit
at halftime.Indiana charged back by opening the second half on a 20-7 spurt and cutting the margin to 60-51 with about 13 minutes left. But then Purdue answered with five straight points, the final 2 beginning Edey’s free throws, and Indiana never got close again.”I can’t sit here and complain about the officiating.
It’s what it is. We couldn’t get to Edey quick enough,”Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson said.”I’ve got to get my two huge guys a little harder. I didn’t believe we played tough enough, and Edey kind of had his way.”The Associated Press added to this report.