Zach Edey Scores 38, No. 1 Purdue Dominates Michigan State 77-61
In this story:
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue junior center Zach Edey set a career-high points total for the second time against Michigan State this season, leading the No. 1-ranked Boilermakers to a 77-61 victory over the Spartans on Sunday at Mackey Arena.
In the first meeting between the two teams at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich., Edey notched 32 points and the game-winning basket in a one-point decision.
Less than two weeks later, Edey scored 38 on 15-of-24 shooting and came down with 13 rebounds while also tallying three assists, three steals and a block without turning the ball over.
“It's real special. It's something you can't take for granted because you're not going to have someone like that every single year," Purdue freshman guard Fletcher Loyer said. "When you have someone down low that's that dominant and that unselfish too, it's great to play with.
"I feel bad for the other teams because it's hard to stop him. Also, just this summer watching him play, I'm like 'this guy is the best player in the country.'"
Trying to match up against Edey twice in the span of two weeks proved too tall of a task for Michigan State. Purdue’s star center started slow in the first half, but the Boilermakers took a double-digit lead with 11:36 before halftime thanks to a 10-0 run.
At the under-eight media timeout, Edey had just four points to his name, yet the team knocked down four of its first five shots from the 3-point line. Perimeter shooting was key for a quick start, but that was before Edey ripped off eight straight points for Purdue.
"They always play super physical, it always gets me going and gets me into the game a little bit," Edey said. "They stayed one-on-one, so it's my job to score the ball. Sometimes in certain matchups, my job is to kind of facilitate and play our rotations."
He had 16 points at the break on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with six rebounds, two steals and one block. The Boilermakers went into the locker room with a 40-22 lead over the Spartans as senior guard David Jenkins Jr. nailed a 3-pointer before the buzzer.
Jenkins, who’s now hit on a shot from behind the arc in three consecutive games, scored eight of his 11 points in the first half. He made three shots from the 3-point line as the team went 7-of-17 from deep.
“I think each game I've earned a little more playing time on the court,” Jenkins said. "And honestly, I think it started defensively because I wasn't hitting shots until these last couple of games."
Michigan State was called for eight fouls and turned the ball over eight times in the opening period, and Spartans coach Tom Izzo had some words for the officiating crew before the start of the second half. He was charged with a technical foul, and Purdue was awarded a pair of free throws when the two teams took the floor again.
“That's really a seven-point swing. Two we don't get, three they hit and the technical,” Izzo said. "So that's a seven-point swing, and Purdue's too good of a team to make seven-point swings."
Freshman point guard knocked down both shots from the foul line, giving the Boilermakers a 20-point lead to start the second half. Edey continued to dominate underneath the basket and scored the next eight Purdue points before Michigan State put together a run.
The Spartans cut the lead to 10 with 11:45 left to play on a 12-2 run. Junior guard AJ Hoggard scored three fastbreak points in the stretch, part of his team-high 20 points in the game while also logging six assists and four rebounds.
"They were very good in the second half in transition," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "You see how talented Hoggard is when he gets a head of steam and starts wheeling and dealing. He got to the free-throw line, broke us down, and that's what we wanted to stop."
But that was as close as the Spartans would get.
Edey made sure the lead for the Boilermakers never dropped below double digits in the second half, scoring six straight points to put the team ahead by 16 with 8:58 left to play. He scored another eight points in the final five minutes of play and finished 8-of-12 from the free-throw line.
Michigan State tried to switch up its defense strategy and elected to double Edey in the paint, but he made simple passes and assisted on three baskets during the game. When that didn't work for the Spartans, Edey went back to attacking the rim and scored 22 points in the second half.
“Just taking what they give you,” Painter said. "He split a couple double-teams and scored, he split a couple double-teams and didn't score. Sometimes those splits, as long as he's going to his strong hand, can be OK. The other way is a little bit harder for him.
"But just opening up, especially on the right side, and seeing everything. It's easier on that left block, if you're looking at it from the top of the key, for a right-handed guy to go over his left shoulder and make those passes."
Michigan State shot 48% from the field during the contest and made half of its 3-point attempts, but couldn’t overcome 20 fouls and 14 turnovers to give itself a chance to take down Purdue. The Boilermakers improved to 21-1 overall and 10-1 in Big Ten play with the win.
-----
Related Stories on Purdue Basketball
- Purdue, Michigan State Live Blog: No. 1 Purdue basketball faced off against Michigan State on Sunday at Mackey Arena for the second meeting of the season between the two teams. Relive the action with our live blog. CLICK HERE
-----
Keep up to date on everything at BoilermakersCountry.com by liking and following our Facebook page: Purdue Boilermakers on Sports Illustrated/FanNation.
