Braden Smith Leads No. 1 Purdue Basketball in 87-73 Win Over Iowa
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Freshman point guard Braden Smith scored a career-high 24 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds as No. 1 Purdue basketball defeated Iowa 87-73 on Thursday night at Mackey Arena.
The Boilermakers (23-2, 12-2 Big Ten) staved off a second-half surge by the Hawkeyes (15-9, 7-6) after leading by as many as 21 points. They finished with five players scoring in double figures, with Zach Edey and Caleb Furst each posting double-doubles during the win.
“I feel like I just kind of go out there and attack a game the same way,” said Smith, who made four of his five 3-point attempts. “I mean, shots just fell and kind of just played how it went. With the shots being able to fall, obviously, confidence goes up a bit.”
Purdue started on the wrong foot at the opening tip, turning the ball over and giving up an easy fast break layup to Iowa junior forward Kris Murray. But the team punched back immediately, going on a 19-2 run to take a commanding 15-point lead with 13:53 still to play in the first half.
Freshman point guard Braden Smith connected on a pair of 3-pointers and assisted Fletcher Loyer on another during the stretch. The Boilermakers started the game 4-of-6 from deep before the Hawkeyes began to muster a response.
Iowa cut its deficit back to single digits twice before halftime, but each time Purdue answered on the other end of the floor. Smith and sophomore forward Caleb Furst combined to orchestrate a 9-2 run to end the opening period, giving the Boilermakers a 38-21 lead heading into the locker room.
"It definitely helps being able to have a lead like that," Smith said. "If they would have went on that run earlier, it would have been hard because they're all so good and they all can shoot. Being able to go on that run was really helpful."
The Hawkeyes entered the game as the conference’s highest-scoring offense but were held to a mere 10-of-34 from the field, which included a 1-of-10 mark from the 3-point line. Smith scored 10 points before the start of the second half.
Murray had six points on 3-of-7 shooting to start the game. The Hawkeyes found most of their opportunities by coming down with offensive rebounds, as they tallied five in the opening period and scored seven second-chance points.
Furst registered seven of his 11 points, including a 3-pointer in the first half, before finishing 5-of-5 from the field and adding 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
“We try to get the ball into Zach a lot and then we trust him to make those decisions,” Furst said. “Whether it’s to score or hit someone for a kick-out three or anything like that.
"But even when we don’t get it in, just the presence that he commands and the attention that they have to give him, it just opens things up for so many other guys whether it’s crashing the glass or open shots.”
After taking the floor for the final period, Smith was a one-man show as the Boilermakers mounted a 46-25 lead with 18:14 left to play. The first-year guard scored or assisted on the team’s first 17 points in the second half.
"In high school, I was kind of more score-first. But here, I get people in the right position to be successful," Smith said. "When they go under [screens], I'm going to take my shot. And tonight, like I said a couple times, the ball was going in."
But Iowa started to find its offensive rhythm, going blow for blow with Purdue after halftime. The Hawkeyes opened the second half by scoring 18 of its first 24 shot attempts and would eventually dwindle their deficit to as little as six points.
Murray and fifth-year senior forward Filip Rebraca combined to go 12-of-15 from the floor after the break, finishing the game with 24 and 17 points, respectively.
"I feel like our team is really good at handling when teams come back, especially on the road when the crowd gets into it, we're good with responding," Smith said. "We're not shocked by it. We knew they were able to come back and hit those shots because that was the kind of team they are."
With its lead at single digits, Purdue was in the midst of a scoring drought of two-plus minutes and had four turnovers in that same span. But Edey sparked an 8-0 run with back-to-back baskets that gave the team a 78-64 advantage with 2:29 left in the game.
Edey, who scored just four points in the first half, went 6-of-6 from the foul line to tally 14 points alongside 14 rebounds and four assists. Loyer added a late 3-pointer to keep the team’s lead at double-digits for the rest of the contest.
"I just thought he was patient," Purdue coach Matt Painter said of Edey. "Be a great rebounder every game. He's been a great rebounder. There are some things you can't control. They double him, be a great passer and help our team out."
Despite going 2-of-8 from beyond the arc, Loyer scored 17 points in the matchup. Junior forward Mason Gillis also finished with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
“It’s cool to see, but it’s not surprising,” Edey said. “They’ve been doing this all year. When teams really want to play like that against me, really want to try to limit my post touches, we’ve got a bunch of guys that can step up.
“We’ve got a really deep team. We’ve got a lot of guys that can hurt you, and I think that it showed tonight.”
-----
Related Stories on Purdue Basketball
- Purdue, Iowa Live Blog: No. 1 Purdue basketball welcomed Iowa to Mackey Arena on Thursday night and came away with an 87-73 victory. Relive some of the action from our live blog. CLICK HERE
- Zach Edey Named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week: Purdue junior center Zach Edey earned his sixth Big Ten Player of the Week honor, tying Caleb Swanigan for the most in a single season in program history. He averaged 25.5 points and 15.5 rebounds per game for the Boilermakers across two contests. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Remains No. 1 in Latest AP Top 25 Poll: Purdue retained the No. 1 spot atop the Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll despite losing to rival Indiana 79-74 on the road. The Boilermakers were among four teams receiving first-place votes. CLICK HERE
-----
Keep up to date on everything at BoilermakersCountry.com by liking and following our Facebook page: Purdue Boilermakers on Sports Illustrated/FanNation.
