Zach Edey dominant as No. 1 Purdue basketball throttles Michigan State
WEST LAFAYETTE − The dominance continues.
Purdue against the college basketball world and Zach Edey against opposing post players.
The No. 1-ranked Boilermakers, riding 38 points from center Zach Edey, handled Michigan State on Sunday at Mackey Arena 77-61.
The eighth victory in a row for Purdue (21-1, 10-1 Big Ten) keeps the Boilermakers two games ahead of the field in the Big Ten loss column.
AJ Hoggard scored 20 points for the Spartans (14-8, 6-5), who otherwise were held in check. Aside from Jaden Akins' 12 points, no other Michigan State player scored in double figures.
3 stars
Zach Edey, Purdue: This goes without saying. Edey is the most dominant player in the country. And Sunday may have been his most dominant performance. On Jan. 16, Edey set a career-high with 32 points (and also had 17 rebounds) when he made the game winner against Michigan State in East Lansing. He pulled down three offensive rebounds on one possession late in Sunday's game, which gave him 13 boards to go with his 38 points.
David Jenkins Jr., Purdue: We're now getting a glimpse of the offensive weapon Matt Painter wanted when he brought Jenkins over from Utah. His buzzer-beating 3 as the first half ended is the latest in a recent hot streak from beyond the arc. Jenkins finished with 11 points and went 3 of 5 from 3.
Fletcher Loyer, Purdue: Offensively, Loyer's had better games and it's not that he was bad. Edey was just so dominant, Loyer took just eight shots. He had one rebound, one assist and nine points. But it was the two charges Loyer drew in the first half that got Mackey Arena rocking Sunday afternoon.
Key moment
Matt Painter was calling for Purdue to foul on Michigan State's final possession of the first half. Instead, the Spartans were called for a moving screen with 6.9 seconds left.
David Jenkins Jr. hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that pushed Purdue's lead to 18. As the teams were entering the locker room, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo picked up a technical foul.
Braden Smith started the second half on the free throw line, making both. Those foul shots capped a 20-5 run that began with six-and-a-half minutes to go in the first half with Zach Edey scoring eight straight points.
Key stat
Since going 7 of 23 from 3-point range in a Jan. 2 loss to Rutgers, the Boilermakers have turned around their shooting struggles from beyond the arc with one exception.
The Boilermakers are shooting 39 percent from 3 during their eight-game winning streak. Included in that stretch was a 2-for-13 showing against Maryland. After canning 7 of 17 against Michigan State on Sunday, Purdue is 57 of 146 from 3 during its winning streak.
Prior to that stretch, the Boilermakers were 98 of 321 from 3 (30.5 percent).
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
No. 1 Purdue 77, Michigan St. 61
MICHIGAN ST. (14-7): Hauser 1-4 0-0 3, Sissoko 2-3 0-0 4, Akins 5-9 1-1 12, Hoggard 6-10 7-9 20, Walker 4-11 1-2 9, Hall 3-6 1-2 8, Brooks 1-3 0-0 3, Cooper 1-1 0-2 2, Kohler 0-0 0-0 0, Holloman 0-1 0-0 0, D.Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Whitens 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-48 10-16 61.
PURDUE (20-1): Furst 0-2 0-0 0, Edey 15-24 8-12 38, Loyer 4-8 0-0 9, Morton 2-4 1-6 6, B.Smith 0-3 3-4 3, Gillis 1-2 0-0 3, Jenkins 4-6 0-0 11, Newman 1-5 0-0 3, Kaufman-Renn 2-4 0-0 4, Waddell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-58 12-22 77.
Halftime—Purdue 40-22. 3-Point Goals_Michigan St. 5-10 (Hauser 1-1, Akins 1-2, Hall 1-2, Hoggard 1-2, Brooks 1-3), Purdue 7-17 (Jenkins 3-4, Gillis 1-2, Morton 1-2, Loyer 1-3, Newman 1-3, Furst 0-1, B.Smith 0-2). Rebounds_Michigan St. 23 (Hauser 5), Purdue 36 (Edey 13). Assists_Michigan St. 14 (Hoggard 6), Purdue 21 (Furst, Gillis 4). Total Fouls_Michigan St. 20, Purdue 14.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Zach Edey dominant as Purdue basketball throttles Michigan State
