Purdue Clicks on Both Ends in 86-70 Win Over No. 25 Iowa
#BoilerNotes
- Purdue improved to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten with an 86-70 win over No. 25-ranked Iowa … it marked Purdue’s second straight win over a nationally-ranked team.
- Purdue improved to 9-2 under Matt Painter against Iowa in Mackey Arena … five of the wins have come by at least 16 points.
- Purdue scored a season-high 52 points in the first half … it was the most points scored in a half this year for Purdue.
- The Boilermakers shot 63.3 percent (19 of 30) from the field in the first half, including 14 of 20 (.700) from inside the 3-point line … Purdue had just three turnovers in the first half.
- Purdue is 2-1 (or better) in Big Ten play for the fifth straight year.
- Purdue won its ninth straight home game dating to last year … Since the start of the 2014-15 season, Purdue is 34-4 at Mackey Arena in Big Ten play.
- All 10 players that saw action for Purdue scored at least three points … eight of them scored at least five points.
- Purdue scored a season-high 39 points off the bench, going 15 of 23 (.652) from the field.
- Purdue scored 42 points in the paint, tied for the second-highest total of the season (44 vs. Ball State).
- Matt Haarms scored 14 points with five rebounds and two blocks … he became the 10th player in Purdue history with 100 career blocked shots.
- Carsen Edwards scored 21 points with five rebounds and two assists … it marked his 12th 20-point game of the season and he has scored at least 19 points in all 14 games … he moved into second place by himself by connecting on a 3-pointer in 26 straight games … he has scored at least 10 points in 34 straight games, dating to last year … Edwards surpassed 1,400 career points in the victory (now with 1,403).
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –Â Three-point bombs, half-court sets, fast-breaks, pick-and-rolls, the points came fast and furious for Purdue on this night in a way-too-easy 86-70 win vs. No. 25 Iowa. It was a great way to pay tribute to Boilermaker super fan Tyler Trent, who passed away on January 1.
The Boilermakers have won three in a row and move to 2-1 in the Big Ten on a night when there were plenty of smiles and fist pumps to go around as 10 different Purdue players scored at least three points. The Boilers raced to a 52-35 halftime lead and never looked back vs. a Hawkeye squad that had no defensive answers in falling to 0-3 in the Big Ten and 11-3 overall.
Carsen Edwards led the way again, hitting 8-of-17 shots en route to tallying a team-high 21 points as the Boilermakers improved to 7-0 at home. But the real story of the game was the offensive balance the Boilers received. Too often this season, Purdue has lacked a steady and consistent scoring sidekick for Edwards. But not on this night with the bench chipping in a season-high 39 points as the Boilers shot 53 percent.
Matt Haarms continues to excel in his new reserve role in a game Purdue led by as many as 26. The sophomore tallied 12 points with eight rebounds in the previous game vs. Belmont. He kept rolling tonight, notching 14 points with five boards as Purdue (9-5) dominated in the paint.
Redshirt freshman Aaron Wheeler looks like a revelation, showing 3-point shooting touch as well as scoring aplomb inside in tallying 10 points off the bench. The kid only will get better.
Wrap all of that balanced scoring with strong defense—an ingredient that has been spotty most of this season—and you can see why the Boilers cruised to victory.
Things get appreciably more difficult the next time out, when Purdue plays at Michigan State on Tuesday. That is followed by a trip to Wisconsin on January 11. Good thing the Boilers will enter those games coming off their two best games of the season in downing Belmont and now Iowa.
Purdue needs to bottle this effort … and repeat it.
