PHOTO GALLERY: Purdue Loses to Fairleigh Dickinson in First Round of NCAA Tournament
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Purdue became the second team in the history of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament to lose to a No. 16 seed in the first round, falling 63-58 to Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday at Nationwide Arena.
The Boilermakers struggled to take care of the basketball, turning it over 16 times while also shooting just 5-of-26 from the 3-point line. Junior center Zach Edey led all scorers with 21 points and came down with 15 rebounds.
"I think we got a little rattled," Purdue freshman guard Fletcher Loyer said. "We were a little panicked early on. But in a game like, that you can't be panicked. You've got to go out there and let them know who is boss."
Purdue trailed by as many as six points in the first half before putting together an 11-0 run to take a 24-19 lead with 5:25 left before halftime. But the team was unable to stretch its lead into double digits and allowed Fairleigh Dickinson to keep things close.
The Knights cut their deficit and went into the locker room leading 32-31. The Boilermakers piled on another 11 unanswered points in the second half to go ahead by six points with 11:41 remaining. But once again, Fairleigh Dickinson was able to chip away at the narrow advantage.
Junior forward Sean Moore led the way by scoring 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Senior guard Demetre Roberts and sophomore forward Cameron Tweedy added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Purdue was outscored 22-11 in the final 11:27 and was only able to make three field goals in that span. Loyer, who scored 13 points, was responsible for the last eight points for the Boilermakers.
"They'd full front and they would sit someone underneath the rim," Edey said of Fairleigh Dickinson's defense. "Which makes it very hard to catch and get into a flow and rhythm. Credit to them, they had a great game plan coming in. And they executed it very well."
NCAA Tournament: Fairleigh Dickinson 63, Purdue 58
Zach Edey
Mason Gillis
Purdue Pete
Braden Smith
Zach Edey
Fletcher Loyer
Coach Matt Painter
Mason Gillis
Zach Edey
Trey Kaufman-Renn
Mason Gillis
Purdue Boilermakers Cheerleaders
Zach Edey
Zach Edey and Mason Gillis
Purdue Boilermakers
Fletcher Loyer
Zach Edey
Ethan Morton
Fletcher Loyer and Zach Edey
Matt Painter
-----
Related Stories on Purdue Basketball
- Zach Edey Undecided on Future at Purdue: Zach Edey has not decided whether or not he will return to Purdue next season. As a junior, he averaged more than 22 points and almost 13 rebounds per game. CLICK HERE
- What Matt Painter Said Following Purdue's Loss to Fairleigh Dickinson: After Purdue's 63-58 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night, coach Matt Painter addressed the media. Here's everything he had to say following the game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. CLICK HERE
- What Edey, Loyer Said After Purdue's Loss to Fairleigh Dickinson: Following a 63-58 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Zach Edey and Fletcher Loyer spoke to the media. The Boilermakers finished the 2022-23 season with a 29-6 overall record. CLICK HERE
- Purdue, Fairleigh Dickinson Live Blog: No. 1 seed Purdue tipped off against No. 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Columbus, Ohio. Here's how the game played out inside Nationwide Arena. CLICK HERE
-----
Keep up to date on everything at BoilermakersCountry.com by liking and following our Facebook page: Purdue Boilermakers on Sports Illustrated/FanNation.